When Sheldon met Amy
by kimbee73
Summary: What would have happened if the unaired pilot Sheldon had met Amy Farrah Fowler? It will start out as a T rating but may go up in future chapters. Rating has changed to M as of chapter 5.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay this story is going to be a bit out of character for Sheldon but not for Amy. The Sheldon in this story is based on the unaired pilot Sheldon and if you have never seen it, look it up on YouTube it is in 7 parts. There are pieces left out but you will get the gist. The Sheldon in that show was not a virgin and had seen 7 naked women. He also had a collection of magazines in his sock drawer featuring women with larger rear ends. He also did not seem as concerned about germs in the pilot as he had people taking food off his plate. I am going to kind of combine some of those traits with the ones we know and love now as well as bringing Amy into the story just as she was when we first met her.**

**Now that you have the background let's get on with the story. Amy will come around in a couple of chapters, please don't worry about it. I promise you this is a Shamy.**

**I don't own any of these characters...**The

K_nock knock knock _ "Penny"

_Knock knock knock _ "Penny"

_Knock knock knock _ "Penny"

"What do you want Sheldon?" Penny asked as she opened the door to reveal him standing at her door. She had been living there just a little over a month and had no idea what this man was all about.

"I need your help in a matter of semiotics." He said.

"I'm sorry?" She questioned.

"Semiotics, the study of signs and symbols. It's a branch of philosophy related to linguistics."

"Okay, sweetie, I know you think you're explaining yourself but you're really not." She said to him.

"Just come with me." He said and led her back into his apartment. He walked down the hall towards the bedrooms. He stopped outside Leonard's bedroom. There was a tie hung on the doorknob.

"Well?" He asked her. He had no idea what this meant.

"Well what?" She was confused. She saw this all the time in Nebraska. She even saw it once at her own apartment. That happened to be when she caught Kurt cheating on her.

"What does it mean?" He asked

"Oh come on, you went to college." She said to him.

"Yes but I was 11." He said to her.

"Alright, look, a tie on the doorknob usually means someone doesn't want to be disturbed because they're, you know, getting busy." She said to him.

"So you're saying Leonard has a girl in there?" He asked.

"Well either that or he's lost his tie rack and gotten really into Bryan Adams." She answered him. At that point they heard a female's voice calling Leonard a magnificent beast.

"We really shouldn't be here." Penny said and she made her way back into the living room with Sheldon following

"This is very awkward." He said.

"Oh come on, Leonard's had other girls here before, right?" She asked.

"Yes but usually there is planning and advanced notice. The last time I happened to be out of town seeing a lunar eclipse."

"You left town because your roommate was having sex?" She asked shocked. "I need to ask. Have you ever seen a naked woman?"

"What kind of question is that?" He asked her appalled. The truth was he had seen 7 naked women, 3 of whom were not even related.

"Well you just answered that for me." She said.

"No I didn't. I just don't know why you feel the need to ask me."

"Sheldon, this should not be an awkward situation for you. Leonard has been with other girls. Just because you haven't, doesn't mean it isn't normal." She said to him.

"Why do you assume I have never been with a woman?" He asked. "First you think I have never seen a naked woman before and now you think I am a virgin."

"Are you?" She asked seriously.

"No I am not." He answered.

"Really? I just assumed. You seem so uptight right now about the whole situation; I figured you were uncomfortable with the topic."

"Well truth be told I am more uncomfortable because of who Leonard is with." Sheldon said. He had heard the unmistakable voice of Leslie Winkle just a few minutes ago.

"Who is in there?" Penny asked.

"Well there is Leonard. And he's either with Leslie Winkle or a 1930s gangster." He answered picking up her violin case.

"Why does that matter?" She asked him.

"Well I know Leslie and I despise her. I really don't want him to start a relationship with her. Although if her past is any indication she won't want to be in one with him."

"So are you saying that Leslie is using Leonard for sex?" Penny asked.

"Yes." He answered quickly

"How would you know that?" She asked.

"Oh um, I just know the type." He tried. He was a terrible liar and he was hoping that he could get away with it this time.

"What type?" She asked still pressing the topic.

"The type that will come over to your place after you have effectively won her over at a Star Trek convention by portraying a Vulcan in the Pon Farr mating fever that she has to say yes."

"Oh my God, you had sex with Leslie!" She screamed.

"I didn't say that." He said. "I said she was that type of girl."

"What happened?" Penny asked not wanting to argue with him even if she knew it was the truth.

"Fine I will tell you." Sheldon said exasperated. "About 5 years ago, I was in the cafeteria at work. Leslie had just started at the university. She seemed like a nice person at first. We really hit it off. I found out that she was really into Star Trek and had a bit of a crush on Wil Wheaton. I told her how much I loved him back when he was on the show and then told her the story of how he became my mortal enemy."

"Your mortal enemy? What the hell does that mean?" She interrupted.

"That is a whole different story but let's just say he was supposed to be somewhere and he didn't show up and I have hated him ever since."

"Ok." She answered

"So anyway, there was a Star Trek convention coming up and I invited her to go along with me. She agreed and then like I just said we were both in costume and one thing led to another." He said.

"So then what?" Penny asked.

"What do you mean, then what?" Sheldon asked.

"I mean what happened afterwards?" She asked

"Well I woke up the next morning and she was gone. She left a note on my refrigerator saying that she had a great time but wasn't sure it could go anywhere."

"Oh that is so sad." Penny said. "Was she your first time?"

"No." Sheldon said. "I dated a girl briefly in Germany when I was a visiting professor. We were each other's first."

"Wow I never would have guessed." Penny said. "You seem so robot like. Does Leonard know about you and Leslie?"

"No. And I am not sure I want him to find out either." Sheldon asked. "He knows about the girl in Germany but that is it."

"Have you been with anyone since Leslie?"

"No, and I don't think I want to be either. I have decided to dedicate my life to science. I don't need to give in to my baser urges."

"Oh come on I bet there is someone out there just like you and will be your perfect girl."

"Oh I doubt it." He said.

"I bet there is a smart and wonderful woman out there just waiting for her Dr. Sheldon Cooper to come along."

"Well maybe but I don't see it happening. A girl like that probably is married to science and would never want to engage in a relationship." Sheldon said to her.

"You might be surprised. I bet you could charm a girl into liking you if you showed her your boards. I know I was impressed. Just think what someone who understood what you wrote might think of you."

"You know Penny you might be right, but I think I want to work on my research right now. I don't have time in my life to pursue a relationship. If there is someone out there for me, we may just have to let fate take its course."

"You believe in fate?" Penny asked shocked.

"No that is why I said it. I am not looking for a relationship. There are more important things in this world than finding the perfect mate."

"Okay keep thinking that." Penny said.

"I will." Sheldon answered. "Thank you for your help on the matter. Please don't take this the wrong way but it is my bed time."

"Okay Sheldon goodnight."

Sheldon went to bed that night thinking about what Penny said. Maybe there was someone out there for him. He couldn't imagine it though. He thought that Heidi had been a real sweet girl and he could have pictured a life with her but he was still a teenager then and young love never lasts. Leslie was great at first but broke his heart with her blasé attitude towards sex it never would have lasted. The last thoughts he had before falling asleep were about a woman with no face and beckoning hips.

**Okay I know that Sheldon and Leslie sound extremely far fetched but I didn't want to invent too many new characters. It was explained that in the show that he had sex with a fellow coworker at a Star Trek Convention. We never met Gilda so Leslie seemed like the way to go. It would also explain his hatred. I noticed when watching the episode this chapter was based off of, Sheldon called Leonard and told him to give his best to Leslie. It didn't seem as if he started to hate her until later in the show. So maybe this could be a good reason for the hatred.**

**If you liked it please review, if you didn't please review. I can handle it. **

**Please bear with me, I have some ideas as to where I may go with this story but they are not really completely thought out. I will finish this I promise but updates may start out slow. **

**Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much to all those who have reviewed my story. Thanks also to those who have put it on their favorite and follow lists. If you could I would love to get feedback from all of you. So many have asked when Amy will come into play. I see her coming around chapter 4 or 5. Please be patient, I want to paint a picture of this Sheldon. Also remember this Sheldon is from the unaired pilot. Several things may seem OOC for him but they were not in that episode. Feel free to let me know what you think of this version of him.**

**A special thanks to my Beta, Boys3allC, for taking the time to read over this and add some thoughts. I really appreciate it.**

**As always I don't own it at all: **

As predicted Leslie had broken Leonard's heart. Sheldon felt really bad for him. He knew what it was like to be dumped like that by her. He decided that it was high time he come clean to Leonard about the dalliance he had shared with Leslie years before.

"Women, huh? I guess some are just love em' and leave' em like Leslie."

"What would you know about that?" Leonard says dismissively

"Leslie loved me and left me too." Sheldon tells him.

"What are you going on about?"

"A couple years ago, after Comic –Con, Leslie and I um, 'hooked-up' for lack of a better term." Sheldon said making disgusted air quotes.

"You had sex with Leslie?" Leonard said shocked.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I am telling you, right now." Sheldon said confused.

Leonard was angry at first because he hadn't been warned but realized it was not Sheldon's fault. He had been unaware of Leslie's true intention when she invited him to play as part of the quartet.

The weeks after the incident went by quickly and things seemed to get back to normal. Leonard was still pining for Penny especially after she kissed him at her Halloween party. She was drunk so Leonard was a perfect gentleman about the whole thing. Sheldon enjoyed the party but didn't find anyone worthy of talking to.

Sheldon wanted to find someone there with a spark of intelligence who would understand his costume. This being a party thrown at Penny's place he knew that was not going to be likely. Sheldon did find a woman dressed as some sort of hippie, who while lacking in the brain department; did however possess an amble and attractive posterior. Sheldon attempted to engage her in conversation after pretending to bump into her so he could get a better look at her backside.

"Oh! Hello! What are you supposed to be?" she asked smiling brightly, eying his long lean body up and down appreciatively

"Let me show you." He said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, undulating his hips and body. "Niyoowww" he said making the noise.

"A choo choo train?" She guessed looking at him, her smiling waning slightly

"No but close!" He says excitedly hoping she at least understood the basic principles behind the Doppler Effect. Spurred on he made the noise and the motion again.

"A brain damaged choo choo train?" She asked. He just shook his head and walked away. Attractive and ample posteriors aside, he simply could not converse with someone lacking so lacking in intelligence. Sheldon credited the education system in the country, as to why he couldn't find anyone who understood his costume.

A few weeks after her Halloween party, Raj was going a bit of a crisis with his parents, who had decided it was high time for him to meet a nice woman and get married. They had arranged for him to meet an old family friend's daughter who was attending dental school at USC. As Raj was unable to speak to women, he had no idea how he was supposed to take her out on a date. Penny was given an opportunity to tend bar at The Cheesecake Factory and she needed the guys help. So Penny invited them all over to her apartment to try out her bartending skills. While Leonard and Howard jumped at the idea, the rest of the guys balked. Raj had never drank alcohol before and Sheldon did not hold his liquor well. However distraught over his parents meddling Raj decided it was high time he take up a vice. Sheldon finally agreed to go, deciding a few drinks would not kill him.

When the guys walk through Penny's door they see her already behind her kitchen island with all manner of bottles spread out.

"Okay, what will everyone be having?" Penny asks excited.

"I have always wanted to try a tequila sunrise." Leonard says and Penny claps her hands excited.

"Great that is a hard one!" she says getting out all the ingredients mixing it and handing it to Leonard who takes a sip.

"Okay who is next?" Raj?' Raj leans over and whispers to Leonard.

"He says what do you recommend?"

"Ooh how about a grasshopper, I make a mean grasshopper." Penny recommends and Raj shakes his head yes.

"Sheldon?" Penny asks him

"Cuba Libre, please."

"Cuba, Libre, Cuba Libre..." Penny said trying to remember the drink "Sheldon that is just a rum and coke, why couldn't you just say rum and coke like a normal person." She finally stated

"Because it is not just rum and coke a Cuba Libre has a lime wedge and a little umbrella in it."

"I don't have lime wedges or little umbrellas." Penny tells him through gritted teeth, fixing him a rum and coke and sliding it over to him.

"You call this a bar and you do not have little umbrellas?" Sheldon says eying his unadorned glass with disdain.

"It is not a bar. I am practicing bartending, so shut up and drink your damn drink."

"Bartenders are supposed to have people skills." Sheldon tells her taking a big swig from his glass.

"Oh Penny where did my life go wrong?" Raj moans as he downs his drink.

The guys were surprised to find out that Raj could speak to women when under the influence of alcohol. It was decided that he would take the girl to The

Cheesecake Factory when Penny was bartending so she could keep an eye on him.

The night of the date, Raj was really nervous. He hadn't seen Lalita Gupta in years and the only memory he had of her was when she would kick him in his samosas and call him untouchable. He was beginning to think the whole idea was a mistake and then she walked into the restaurant. She was beautiful and had lost a lot of weight. The couple was shown to a table in the bar area where Penny was working. She immediately had their waitress take a grasshopper over to him. Lalita ordered a glass of wine. The night started well but then Raj had one too many grasshoppers.

"I can't believe I'm sitting here next to little Lalita Gupta." Raj said to her for like the tenth time, causing Lalita to roll her eyes annoyed.

"Well, you are." She answered him yet again the fake smile straining on her face.

"Little Lalita. That's kind of fun to say. Little Lalita, Little Lalita, Little

Lalita, you should try it." He said giddy the alcohol making his mood ebullient.

"No, it's okay." She said exasperated.

"You have lost so much weight! That must have been difficult for you because you were so, so fat! Do you remember?" He asked.

"Yes, I do." She replied beyond annoyed, shutting the door on that chapter of her life had been hard for her. She did not like it being bought to her attention again.

Leonard, Howard and Penny were watching in disbelief. They could not believe how obnoxious Raj was being with this woman. They asked Penny about giving him a drink that could make him less obnoxious but Penny said alcohol didn't work that way. Sheldon showed up late because he really had no interest in

Raj's love life or anyone's love life, even his own. The thought of spending the night watching Raj make a fool of himself while Leonard attempted to woo Penny and Howard hit on anything that moved was less than appealing. However he was hungry and the thought of spending the night alone in the apartment was not any more appealing so he decided to head out and watch the spectacle while enjoying dinner.

"Sorry I'm late." Sheldon said as he walked into the bar.

"What happened?" Leonard asked him concerned.

"Nothing, I just really didn't want to come. Penny can I get a rum and coke?" he says making sure to ask for it the way Penny had told him.

"Sure." She said to him, happy he said rum and coke and did not make any ridiculous demands.

"In a tall glass, with a lime wedge and a tiny umbrella I know you have tiny umbrellas here." Sheldon said to her raising his eye brows as she turns to make the drink.

"Oh, I'll wedge it right in there." She replied.

"So, how's Koothrappali d…. oh my Lord." Sheldon said looking over at the table where Raj was seated with his date.

"What?" Leonard asked

"That's Princess Punchali." He answered staring dreamily at the woman with Raj.

"I'm pretty sure her name's Lalita." Leonard corrected him.

"No, no, Princess Punchali from _The Monkey and the Princess_." Sheldon

said.

"Oh, yeah, I tried to watch that online, but they wanted a credit card."

Howard added.

"It's a children's story." Sheldon said disgusted.

"Oh, no it isn't." Howard said.

Sheldon ignored him continuing to stare at the vision before him, she had it all the waterfall of ebony hair, the smooth dusky skin, and the teeth like pearls in her mouth.

"When I was a little boy and got sick, which was most of the time, my mother would read it to me. It's about an Indian princess who befriends a monkey, who was mocked by all the other monkeys because he was different. For some reason I related to it quite strongly." He said wistfully.

"I know the reason." Penny commented.

"We all know the reason." Leonard laughed and then continued. "Sheldon, what are you getting at?"

"That woman looks exactly like the pictures of Princess Punchali in the book. How often does one see a beloved fictional character come to life?" Sheldon asked.

Howard commented that they see them every year at Comic Con and every day at Disney. He also made some off handed remark about how you can hire

Snow White to come to your house but it helps if you have children. Raj then came over to introduce Lalita to the guys. Sheldon was taken by her beauty, his heart beat rapidly as he looked upon her. It was all he could do to keep from reaching out and stoking his finger down her cheek.

"Forgive me your highness, for I am but a monkey, and it is in my nature to climb. I did not mean to gaze upon you as you comb your hair." He said to her looking down imitating the illustration of the monkey in the book.

"I'm sorry?" She asked him.

"You are the living embodiment of the beautiful Princess Punchali." He said looking up at her shyly and nervously licking his lips.

"Oh, no kidding? Oh, who is that?" She asked him happy someone was appreciating for the beauty she had become not the little fat girl she had been.

"A beloved character from an Indian folk tale." Sheldon answered still gazing at her appreciatively.

"Oh. Us Indian, or "come to our casino" Indian?" Lalita asked.

"You Indian. The resemblance is remarkable. I can practically smell the lotus blossoms woven in your ebony hair." He said.

"Thank you. I imagine you smell very nice too." She blushed suddenly taken with this tall pale stranger standing before her. Normally he would not have ben her type, but something about the combination of a terrible date with Raj and his extreme flattery was endearing him to her quickly.

"I shower twice a day. Animals don't trust me because I have no scent at all." He answered.

Raj who was witnessing the whole exchange finally weighed in.

"Back off Sheldon." He said to him.

"What?" Sheldon asked him.

"If you do not stop hitting on my lady you will feel the full extent of my

wrath!" Raj said to him trying to look as intimidating as possible.

"I'm not hitting on her." Sheldon said. "I am just pointing out how much she resembles the character in a book." Answering truthfully, his original intent was not to steal Lalita away from Raj.

"And I am not your lady." Lalita said insulted at his words.

"And you have no wrath." Howard said to him.

"You are my lady. Our parents said so. We are for all intents and purposes one hundred percent hooked up." Raj said desperately, He hadn't wanted to be set up but now that Sheldon was hitting on her, he wasn't going to stand by and watch as he took his woman.

Lalita was angry. She only agreed to come on this date to pacify her parents. She didn't believe in the old school crap of arranged marriages. This other guys seemed very interesting, and a lot nicer than her date was. Lalita decided she wanted to get to know him a bit more.

"Okay, let's get something straight here. The only reason I came tonight was to get my parents off my case, I certainly don't need to be getting this old world crap from you." She said to Raj.

"Exactly the kind of spirit with which Princess Punchali led the monkeys to freedom." Sheldon smiled at her.

"Oh, screw Princess Punchali." Raj was angry.

"Hey, you can't talk to me like that." Lalita said to Raj

"But you're not Princess Punchali." He said to her.

"Luckily for you, she could have you beheaded." Sheldon said to him.

Lalita had had enough. "Sheldon, are you hungry?" She asked him.

"I could eat." He answered, food being the primary reason he had come in the first place.

"Let's go." She said and they walked away from the rest of the group who stood stunned at what they had just witnessed.

"That geeky bastard." Penny says impressed watching their retreating backs.

"I can't believe I am considering asking him for dating tips." Howard says in awe.

"Can we please stop focusing on them and focus on the most important thing, my broken heart." Raj says tearfully resting his head on the bar.

"You did not even like her. We had to force you to go on this date. You only started liking her when you saw Sheldon with her." Leonard said judiciously.

"And now I want her more than anything!" Raj wails.

Lalita and Sheldon got a table in another part of the restaurant. They ordered an appetizer to share and each ordered an entrée. Sheldon never had an issue sharing his food, especially with a woman as pretty as Lalita. Plus he figured she had excellent hygiene being a dental student.

"I can't believe Raj thought I was his lady." She said to him. "That is the last

time I allow my parents to meddle in my love life." Lalita says attempting to engage him in conversation. He had been very quiet since they sat down.

"If I may, your parents probably don't consider this meddling, while arranged marriages are no longer the norm, Indian parents continue to have a greater than average involvement in their children's lives." Sheldon observed.

"Not you too. Just because some parents still feel that way does not mean their children feel the same way." She said to him annoyed that he felt it appropriate to comment on her culture, a culture he was in no way involved in. She really was thinking he might be a good catch. He was certainly good looking enough plus he thought she looked like a princess. It also helped that he rescued her from Raj.

"Oh I didn't mean to insult you. I was just observing that your parents along with Raj's felt the need to set you up." Sheldon said.

"Well he was not for me. I mean first, he was so boring. He kept asking me if I remembered what it was like being fat. It is not something one forgets. I certainly didn't need the reminders. Second, he was drunk. Who gets drunk on a first date?" She asked.

"Well to be honest, he would not have been able to speak to you without the alcohol in his system." Sheldon said.

"Really? Why?" She asked tilting her head to the side intrigued.

"I am not sure why because we just found out the other day. Up until then he was completely unable to speak with a beautiful woman." Sheldon answered. "Penny, my neighbor made him a drink and miraculously he started talking to her."

"Oh well that explains a lot. I guarantee you I want nothing to do with him now. I can't have a husband that needs to stay drunk to be able to speak to me."

She said her heart swelling once again that he had casually labeled her a beautiful woman.

"Understandable." Sheldon answered. The appetizer arrived and they shared the mozzarella sticks in relative silence. He was okay with sharing the appetizer with her but not thrilled when he saw her double dip the stick in the sauce. He chose not to dip his after that.

"So Sheldon what do you do for a living?" She asked him while they waited for their entrées.

"I am a Theoretical Physicist studying string theory at Cal Tech." He answered.

"That sounds interesting." She said being nice.

"Oh, it is" Sheldon said as he begins to explain all about his work and the research he is working on. Sheldon cannot help but notice her eyes glaze over as he talked. So to be polite he decided to change the subject to one she might enjoy more." I hear you are a dental student at USC. What made you decide to go into that field?" He asked.

"Well my parents were pushing me to become a doctor but I can't really stand the sight of blood. I thought by being a dentist, I would not see nearly as much blood." She answered.

"That makes sense. Were you correct in your analysis?" He asked.

"Not really. I see quite a few bleeding gums everyday but I guess it is better than a gaping wound." She answered.

They continued their conversation throughout dinner. Sheldon tried again to explain exactly what he was working on in his field but she didn't quite understand it all. Lalita was bright, certainly to be a dental student you would have to be, but her mind defiantly was not on par with his. She lectured him about the link between gum disease and heart attacks, all information that he was already familiar with.

As the night ended, Lalita had really thought she found someone she could conceivably date. Sheldon walked her to her car and bid her a goodnight.

"I had a nice time." She said to him leaning against her car stalling getting in, hoping he would kiss her.

"Me too. You are a very smart woman. I hope you find happiness in your field of study." He answered his arms crossed behind his back.

"Well goodnight." She said biting her lower lip and giving Sheldon her best come hither eyes.

"Goodnight." He answered oblivious to her charms.

"Um Sheldon." She called as he was walking away. She was confused. She thought that he had liked her and that dinner had gone well.

"Yes." He turned back to her.

She walked up to him placing her hands lightly on his hips to steady herself.

He was so tall she had to get on her tippy toes as she kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

She said looking at him expectantly hoping for a return of the favor but she was disappointed.

"You're welcome." He answered and walked away leaving her standing at the car staring longingly after her would be suitor.

When he got home, he was attacked by Raj and Leonard who told him that one should never leave with a friend's date. He said he never would have if she hadn't thought he was that Raj was boring. Leonard asked if they were going to see each other again and Sheldon replied that he already had a dentist and didn't need another one.

"So she wasn't the one?" Leonard asked after Raj had left. He had known that Sheldon seemed interested or never would have agreed to dinner with her.

"No she was intelligent but not as much as I would have liked. She could not have told a boson from a fermion, and she double dipped her mozzarella stick." He answered.

"Well just remember next time not to hit on your friend's dates." Leonard said pointedly.

"Noted." Sheldon said. "Well goodnight."

"Goodnight." Leonard said to him.

Sheldon went to bed that night thinking about the date he just had. In Howard's vulgar terms Lalita had been good to go. A few more kind words and he conceivably could have had an Indian princess sharing his bed tonight. Yet he had backed down, he did not just want anyone sharing his bed, he wanted someone he really liked, someone who could hold their own with him intellectually. He then thought back to the night Penny told him that there was someone out there for him. He was beginning to think she was right but Lalita wasn't the one. He had never been opposed to the idea of dating but right now all he wanted to do was win his Nobel Prize, then he could think about finding love.

**So Sheldon is open to love but wants his Nobel first. Well a few more women will come into his life before a certain bespectacled neurobiologist pontificates her way into his heart.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I am so overwhelmed with thanks for all the reviews and favorites of this story. I have read everyone of your words. If I haven't personally thanked you, I apologize. Time has gotten away from me the last few days. So on with the story. I have so much back story to tell about Sheldon, there were after all three seasons before her, that Amy will be joining us a little later than expected. I hope you will stick around for the payoff because it will be worth it. **

**A big thanks to Boys3allC for helping me tell this story. I know you said you don't want the thanks but you deserve it. **

Raj didn't speak to Sheldon for two weeks after the incident with Lalita. He also had to answer awkward questions from his parents. They had heard from Lalita's family and were none too pleased that it had not worked out. They were even more disappointed when they found out Raj had been drunk on his date with her. They were ready to fly to California to do an intervention. He convinced them that it had been the first and only time he ever got drunk.

Things got back to normal after a while and Sheldon watched his friends in tireless pursuits of women. Howard had a hook up with Penny's friend Christy while Leonard kept his hopes up that Penny would become available although she was dating a guy named Mike. When Sheldon's sister came to town he had to fend each one of them off until she made it clear it was her decision whom she would date. Luckily she hadn't chosen any of them although Sheldon did believe that she would have gone with Raj if he had been able to speak to her.

One night when the guys were at the Cheesecake Factory, Penny came over and asked if Leonard would be coming in the following Saturday to celebrate his birthday. He was surprised that she remembered and told her that he usually didn't celebrate as it was not something he did as a child. She was appalled that he had never had a birthday party in his life because his mother didn't think that being expelled from a birth canal needed to be celebrated.

A few days later, Penny heard Leonard leaving the apartment. She pressed her ear against the door then she listened and heard Leonard shouting.

"Make sure they remember no peanuts." She heard Howard yelling.

"Howard, every Thai restaurant in town knows you can't eat peanuts. They see me coming they go "ah, no peanut boy!" Leonard yelled back.

When she was sure he was gone she made her way over to the guys' apartment and Sheldon answered the door.

"Hello Penny. Leonard just left." He said to her making to close the door again.

"I know. I want to talk to you." She answered grabbing the door to keep it from being closed.

"What would we talk about? We've no overlapping areas of interest I'm aware of, and you know I don't care for chit-chat." He said his face blank of expression.

"Okay, can you just let me in?" Penny asked exasperated.

"Well alright, but I don't see this as a promising endeavor." He remarked as he moved aside and let her in. Penny stomped in and stood in front of the group clearly excited about something.

"Okay, here's the deal, we are going to throw Leonard a kick-ass surprise party for his birthday on Saturday." Penny said excitedly her face ecstatic at her brilliant idea.

"I hardly think so; Leonard made it very clear he doesn't want a party." Sheldon said to her. He did not want to have to endure yet another one of Penny's ridiculous parties. The people she would be sure to invite would definitely not share any overlapping interests with him. However he had a feeling he would not win this battle however as the other guys seemed on board.

"Did someone say party?" Howard asked poking his head around the corner,on his way from the bathroom.

"Oh come on Sheldon, Leonard just doesn't know he wants a party because he has never had a party." Penny wheedled

"For the record, I have never had a threesome and yet I know I still want one." Howard said looking suggestively at Penny wiggling his eyebrows deftly

"The possibility exists that Leonard will have a birthday party before hell freezes over." Penny said disgusted.

"I still think the idea of a birthday party is terrible." Sheldon sighed

"Well suck it up, we are doing it. And we will do it in this apartment." Penny said to him seriously.

"Fine, but there will be rules." Sheldon relented. If he was going to be forced into carousing and merry making it was going to be done on his terms.

The party ended up being a bust, First Penny discovered that Sheldon hadn't bought Leonard a gift. So after a conversation about non optional social conventions Penny ended up taking him out to buy something.

"Oh my god! Just pick something! We only have a few more minutes before we have to leave ."Penny moaned as Sheldon stood in front of a display that he had been contemplating for over twenty minutes. As he stood there a attractive girl came up to him and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to snap at her but taking in her curvaceous frame a smile spread over his face.

"Excuse me sir, do you work here? Could you help me find the right wireless router?" She asked him.

"Well that depends what kind of computer do you have ?" He asked leaning casually against the shelf and raising his eyebrows completely skipping the "Do you work here?" portion of the question. Penny rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Ummm… A white one?" She said and Sheldon stopped smiling and straightened up.

"Could you be more specific?" He asked with a condescending tone.

"Well, it is white and it came in a cute box that looked like a cow." She told him giggling.

"A Gateway! Okay now we are cooking, this is the one you want." He told her after searching through the boxes on the shelf and handing her one.

"Thank you!" She said and Sheldon eyed her behind as she walked away.

"She was cute, you should have made a move." Penny told him as he turned back to the display.

"Yes her facial symmetry and body proportions were aesthetically pleasing, but I could never be with someone like her." He said wistfully turning back to the display.

"Don't sell yourself short, you could get her." Penny said to him, her annoyance with him softening.

"I know I could, I was speaking about the fact that she referred to her computer as a 'white one 'and she still uses a Gateway." He said making a face and shaking his head sadly. Feeling much more annoyed with him now Penny grabbed a box off the shelf and moved to go pay.

"Decision made, we are getting him this one okay!" she called still walking away.

"No! That one is completely inappropriate for his needs." He said chasing after her and then was stopped by a man holding up two boxes.

"Excuse me Sir , could you tell me which one of these is better?"

"Well, that depends, what kind of computer do you have? And please do not say a white one." Sheldon said to the man hoping not to have a repeat of the previous woman. He took the boxes from the man and moved back to the display.

"Ugghhh!" Penny groaned slumping to the floor as Sheldon helped the man and two other people,. "At this rate we will never make it to Leonards party!" she moaned as Sheldon finally comes back over to her selection in hand.

It had been Howard's task to keep Leonard occupied while Raj set up for the party. , Leonard did not have any desire to leave the apartment, having planned a fun night of video games. Howard had to take extreme measures in order to get him to leave, risking his life in the name of judgement impaired women. Howard got Leonard out by first pretending to eat peanuts, then when that failed actually eating peanuts which caused an allergic reaction. So Leonard spent the entire night at the emergency room with Howard. Leonard was still thrilled beyond words when he finally returned home, that they had thought enough about him to throw him a birthday party.

Several weeks later Penny broke up with her boyfriend, Mike, after she found out he had spread their love life all over the internet, Leonard took his opportunity and asked her out after she showed a desire to find someone who would care about her needs and not just their own. She accepted but got really nervous. She had never dated anyone as smart as Leonard. She went to Sheldon for help. He told her the story of Schrödinger's Cat and how the cat is neither dead nor alive until the box is open. He likened that to the relationship with Leonard. It was neither successful nor unsuccessful until after the date was over.

The date had not gone as planned and Sheldon found himself in the middle once again. Penny had asked him if Leonard had ever dated someone who was not a brainiac. Sheldon mentioned a woman who had a PhD in French Literature, which because she was French and it was literature, Sheldon didn't think was worth it. Penny was upset because she had lied about finishing Community College. Sheldon was asked to keep this secret but was unable and in the end Leonard messed up his chances with Penny.

After witnessing Penny moving on with her dating life, Leonard decided he should move on as well and began a relationship with Leslie Winkle, much to Sheldon's chagrin. She had moved on from her casual days of just sex with men. Sheldon couldn't stand the thought of his best friend having a dalliance with his arch enemy and former lover. Not that he cared about her anymore but the idea of them having shared a woman was still distasteful to him Sheldon was so desperate he even tried to talk Penny into giving Leonard a second chance.

"Penny, I think you may have given up to early on this ill advised romance with Leonard prematurely."

"Okay, I thought you did not like Leonard dating me?" Penny asked suspiciously.

"Well compared to Leslie Winkle you are a peach."

"Is that what this is about? Friends support their friends, and if Leonard is choosing to be with Leslie, then you are just going to have to be okay with that."

"But Leslie belittles my work and calls me dumbass, and she refers to our brief time together as 'the incident that dare not be named' why can't Leonard support me in my hatred of Leslie?" Sheldon whined to her

"Because Love trumps hate."

"Now, you are just making stuff up! So are you sure that you will not reconsider your relationship with Leonard?"

"Sorry Sweetie, we are better as friends." She told him, Sheldon was not thwarted in the slightest decided to take matters into his own hands

Sheldon thought he knew what would make Leslie angry. Their relationship may have been brief but he had learned a thing or two about her. He just hoped that Leonard wouldn't side with her when he started the argument. After being banished to the hallway for most of the evening of their date. Sheldon interrupted the pair while they were kissing. To think he let those lips touch his grossed him out as he watched them a moment

"When the two of you reach a natural stopping point I'd like to have a word." Sheldon says to them gesturing at them .

"If the word is pee-pee, just do it." Leonard said to him. Sheldon had interrupted their previous date three times for that same reason.

"Leonard, you are my friend. And friends support their friends, apparently. So I am withdrawing my objection to your desire to have a relationship with Leslie." Sheldon says to him his arms crossed behind his back.

"Thank you." He says tilting his head

"I will graciously overlook the fact that she is an arrogant sub-par scientist, who actually believes loop quantum gravity better unites quantum mechanics with general relativity than does string theory. You kids have fun." Sheldon says with a cocky smirk.

Ever since his night with her, they had done nothing but rip each other's fields apart. She hated when anyone questioned her work, he that is what had gotten him kicked from her bed. Sheldon knew this statement would get her and he was not disappointed when she shot back with her response.

"Hang on a second. Loop quantum gravity clearly offers more testable predictions than string theory." Leslie says annoyed.

"I'm listening, amuse me." Sheldon laughed. Sheldon had hoped that Leonard would see through her nonsense.

"Amuse you? Much like you failed to amuse me in the bedroom? Okay, well, for one thing we expect quantii space-time to manifest itself as minute differences in the speed of light for different colors." Leslie countered.

"Balderdash. You were very amused if I remember correctly, which I do because I have an eidetic memory! Conversely matter clearly consists of tiny strings." Sheldon says challenging her with his eyebrows arched. Leonard looks at Leslie and back at Sheldon ,who are locked in a death stare helplessly.

"Are you going to let him talk to me like that?" Leslie cries looking to Leonard for support.

"Okay, well, there is a lot of merit to both theories." Leonard says to her trying unsuccessfully to play middle man.

"No there isn't, only loop quantum gravity calculates the entropy of black holes. Also if I was amused,it was only to see what you are passing off as genitals" Leslie said. Sheldon snorted derisively.

"Sheldon, don't make that noise, it's disrespectful." Leonard said to him.

"I hope so, it was a snort of derision." He told Leonard before rounding back to Leslie "Leslie now I know I have you backed into a corner, because my genitals are aesthetically pleasing, and above the male normal average in size." Sheldon explained to her. This was definitely going exactly as he had planned.

Leslie beet red with anger turns to Leonard again. "You agree with me, right, loop quantum gravity is the future of physics."

"Sorry Leslie, I guess I prefer my space stringy not loopy." Leonard answered.

"Well, I'm glad I found out the truth about you before this went any further." She was not happy with the outcome of the conversation

"Truth, what truth? We're talking about untested hypotheses, uh, it's no big deal." Leonard said. He had no idea how a conversation about hypotheses could possibly have turned so bad.

"Oh, it isn't, really? Tell me Leonard, how would we raise the children?" Leslie asked.

"I guess we let them wait until they're old enough and let them choose their own theory." Leonard was trying to figure out how a second date could become about having children.

Leslie was angry. "We can't let them choose, Leonard, they're children." She screamed at him and made her way to the door of the apartment.

"Wait, where are you going?" Leonard couldn't believe she was leaving.

"I'm sorry, I could have accepted our kids being genetically unable to eat ice-cream or ever get a good view of a parade, but this? This is a deal breaker." Leslie said and she left the apartment.

Sheldon was victorious once again and watched as Leslie left their apartment.

"I'm sorry Leonard, I just couldn't stand by and watch you waste your life with her." Sheldon said after she left.

"Why couldn't you just have talked to me about this? And did you have to throw in the line about your genitals?" Leonard asked him looking dejected.

"Would you have listened?" Sheldon asked.

"Probably not." Leonard answered.

"Now you know why I didn't. Leslie is a leach. Just because she says she is ready to be in a relationship doesn't mean she is. Did you hear her? She honestly thinks loop quantum gravity was better than string I was not going to stand by and have her insult my manhood, if the truth makes you uncomfortable, well then that's on you."

"Yes, well I guess it is, I thought she was more open than that. How did you know she would react like that?"

"Well, after our night together we were in bed discussing our theories, when she mentioned loop quantum gravity. I was flabbergasted at her ridiculous theory and moved to counter assertion. When I successfully refuted her findings she was not happy. That might be why she left me without so much as a goodbye. I am glad I got her to tell you her theory." Sheldon said.

"I guess I should thank you." Leonard says sarcastically

"No thanks necessary. Just try to pick your girlfriends a little better next time." Sheldon tells him turning on his heel and walking away.

A month later, Sheldon and Leonard were asked to speak to a class of graduate students about their departments. Sheldon was reluctant at first but agreed when Leonard bribed him with a trip to the comic book store. Sheldon had done this in the past and every year was disappointed in the crop of students that came through the university. Sheldon was beginning to regret his decision when he heard Leonard introducing him.

"And now to tell you about the theoretical physics department is Dr. Sheldon Cooper." He heard the class clapping, but had no intention of speaking. He heard Leonard again.

"Dr. Cooper." Leonard said.

"Forget it." Sheldon said to him.

"Sheldon we both agreed to do this." Leonard said to him.

"It's a waste of time. I might as well explain the laws of thermodynamics to a bunch of labradoodles." He said to him.

"If you don't do this, I won't take you to the comic book store." Leonard said.

"Hello." Sheldon said poking his head out of the room. He looked at the laser demonstration that Leonard had attempted to do but failed after spilling his peach Snapple into it. It was still smoking. "Nice work on the laser, by the way." He said to him and then looked out at the group before him.

"Looking out at your fresh young faces, I remember when I too was deciding my academic future as a lowly graduate student. Of course, I was fourteen. And I'd already achieved more than most of you could ever hope to, despite my 9:00 bedtime. Now there may be one or two of you in this room who has what it takes to succeed in theoretical physics. Although it's more likely that you'll spend your scientific careers teaching fifth graders how to make paper mache volcanoes with baking soda lava."

"Oh good God." Leonard said.

"In short, anyone who told you that you would someday be able to make any significant contribution to physics, played a cruel trick on you, a cruel trick indeed. Any questions?" Sheldon concluded. He looked around the room. The students were just staring at him in disbelief. "Of course not. I weep for the future of science. Now if you'll excuse me, the latest issue of Batman is out. Come Leonard." He said to him and walked out.

Leonard got up to follow him out and then looked back at the class. "Laser demonstration's looking pretty good now, huh?" He asked them and then the two left the class.

Most of the graduate students were stunned to say the least at the little display they had been privy too. Most thought that Dr. Cooper was a real ass and hoped that they would not have to encounter him during their studies. Yet there was one student in the crowd that hoped that her and Dr. Coopers paths would cross again, in fact she was going to make sure of it. Little did Sheldon know that this cute young graduate student that would take his breath away with her knowledge of fermions and bosons. She would prove quite the distraction in Sheldon's world.

**Okay I bet you all can figure out who is going to distract Sheldon. **

**Liked it? Leave a review. Hated it? Leave a review. In case you can't figure it out, I want you to leave a review. **

**Chapter 4 is in the works. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay first I want to say thank you to everyone of you that has left me a review and for all those that have followed or favorite this story also a big thanks! This next chapter deals with one of my favorite pre Amy episodes. The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem. Here is my take on this relationship. Hold on to your hats, Sheldon is definitely not as IC as he has been but he is for the Sheldon I am writing. And this is by far the longest chapter I have ever written but it needed to be done all in one. **

**And again a big thanks to Boys3allC for helping me with the kissing scenes and added touches. She is much better at them than I am.**

**I don't any of these awesome characters.**

The next afternoon, Sheldon and the guys were sitting in the cafeteria having lunch. Raj was commenting how he loved the time of year with the leaves turning and the chill in the air. Howard made some comment about the female graduate students putting on some winter weight that would make them feel needy and vulnerable. Raj asked if there was a policy about dating graduate students. Leonard told him if he could talk to them he could date them. Raj was depressed. He still hadn't gotten over his selective mutism and needed alcohol to talk to women. Just after they sat down, Leslie Winkle approached their table. She looked to Sheldon.

"So dumbass, I heard you made a grad student throw up last night." She said to him.

He rolled his eyes as she yet again called him dumbass but answered her question none the less. "The truth can indeed be a finger down the throat of those unprepared to hear it." He said. "But why should I cater to second rate minds?"

"Because first rate minds call you dumbass." She answered.

Sheldon racked his brain for comebacks, but came up short so he just called her a mean person. Just then a tall attractive redheaded grad student approached the table.

"Excuse me, Dr. Cooper." The young lady started. Sheldon couldn't believe she was talking to him. Normally the cute young grad students avoided him, especially after a stunt like he just pulled . Sheldon sized her up, liking what he saw, disappointed that since she was facing him, he couldn't get a good look at her posterior; but it didn't matter, she was very pretty.

"I'm Ramona Nowitzki. I was at your talk last night. I think you're just brilliant." She cooed giving him doe eyes.

"That is the prevailing opinion." He answered. She was cute and thought he was smart. This girl just keeps getting better and better he thought.

Leslie was still standing there and couldn't believe what she just heard or how this girl was ogling him. She had heard grad students talking before about how cute they thought he was. Leslie usually ignored them because she had been there done that and wanted no more part of it, but to witness it first hand was beyond disgusting in her opinion.

"Oh, now I am going to throw up." She said and walked away.

Howard, always the flirt, jumped up to speak with this woman, he too also found her cute. He just could not believe that she would talk to Sheldon and not to him.

"Howard Wolowitz, department of engineering, co-designer of the International Space Station's Liquid Waste Disposal System." He said to her lowering his voice suggestively. Sheldon rolled his eyes. Did he really think that was going to impress her? He was ready to say something when she replied to him.

"Ew." She looked at him in disgust and then turned back to Sheldon and sat down. He gave her his undivided attention.

"Dr. Cooper, I've read everything you've published. I especially liked your paper on grand unification using string-network condensates and was wondering how you determined that three dimensional string-nets provided a unified picture of fermions and gauge bosons?" She asked in awe of the man in front of her.

Sheldon was impressed. He did say the night before that there was possibly one or two in the room that could make a contribution to science and this young lady was proof that he was righ, this little lady was going places.

"The fact is I'm quite close to a breakthrough in showing how neutrinos emerge from a string-net condensate."

"Oh my God, that would change the way we view the entire universe." She said to him, completely enamored.

"It's what I do." He said smiling at her flirtatiously .

"You know the Pishkin-Wolowitz Liquid Waste Disposal System is turning a few heads." Howard tried again not to be deterred.

"Excuse me; I believe this young lady is here to talk to me, not to hear about your space toilet." Sheldon said to him shaking his head. For once there was a girl flirting with him not Howard. Sheldon was not going to allow him to take that away from him.

"You know I would love to hear more about how you intend to add neutrinos." She said to him. "Could we maybe get a cup of coffee sometime?" She asked hopefully

"I don't drink coffee." He answered truthfully, not understanding her true intentions.

"I do, I love me a cup of Joe." Howard said, trying yet again. Sheldon glared at him. No way was Wolowitz going to horn in on his girl, this spurred Sheldon on to take action.

"How about dinner?" Sheldon asked her seizing his opportunity.

"Sounds great, I know a terrific little Italian place." She started, but Sheldon cut her off.

"I don't eat in strange restaurants. There may be a three-tined fork. Plus I don't know the menu. I have a very strict policy about checking a restaurant out before eating at the establishment." He said to her matter of factly.

"Well I could always bring dinner to your place." Ramona said to him biting her lower lip, dinner at his place would be beyond ideal. Gaining access to the home of the brilliant would exceed her expectations.

"Perfect, on Mondays, I eat Thai food, Mee krob and chicken sate with extra peanut sauce from Siam Palace." Sheldon said to her smiling. "How's seven for you?"

"I'll be there. I already have the address." She said and got up from the table.

"What a nice girl." Sheldon said as he turned to look at her. The truth was he was able to get a look at her rump as she left. Her hind quarters weren't as ample like he normally liked but it would do.

The other three guys looked at Sheldon in amazement. Yet again he had schooled them in the area of picking up women. They were curious to see if he would actually do something with his skills this time around.

"What just happened?" Howard asked, still stunned.

"I just successfully asked a graduate student to have dinner with me." Sheldon answered, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Impressive." Leonard said. "But how does she already have our address?" He asked.

"No idea, we are listed in the university directory." Sheldon answered after thinking for a moment.

"I guess that is true." He answered still skeptical.

When Penny arrived home from work that night, she saw a young woman

standing by the elevator and trying to push the button. She realized the sign had fallen off yet again.

"Oh, yeah, no, this thing's majorly out of order." She said to Ramona picking up the sign and putting it back on the elevator.

"Guess I am taking the stairs." She said to Penny.

"Where are you going?" Penny asked.

"4-A. I have a dinner date." She replied.

"Oh with Leonard?" She asked.

"No with Sheldon." Ramona answered.

"Sheldon? You mean Sheldon Cooper?" Penny asked shocked. She knew Sheldon had dated in the past but had not seen him with anyone since she moved in. Even the night of the two parties, Sheldon had shown no interest in any of her friends.

"Yeah, why?" Ramona asked.

"Oh no reason, I am just surprised. I haven't seen Sheldon have many dinner dates." Penny answered.

"Oh well he asked me so here I am." Ramona replied.

"Are you telling me Sheldon asked you out?" Penny was surprised.

"Well I asked him if he wanted to get coffee but he doesn't drink coffee and then he suggested dinner." Ramona said.

"Oh that is nice. Where did you two meet?" Penny was curious.

"He and Dr. Hofstadter spoke last night during my graduate physics class. They were telling us about their departments to recruit us." Ramona answered her.

"And Sheldon still impressed you?" Penny had heard from Leonard that Sheldon had basically told all the grad students that they would become teachers to elementary age children.

"Oh I was impressed way before he spoke. I have read everything he has ever written." Ramona said.

"Did you tell him that?" She asked.

"Of course." Ramona said.

"It all makes sense now." Penny said. She realized Sheldon had been impressed with this girl because she was enamored with him.

"What does?" Ramona asked.

"Oh never mind." Penny said. She figured she could find that out on her own later. "Here we are" She said as they arrived at 4-A. Penny knocked.

Leonard answered the door. "Oh hey Ramona. What are you doing here?" He asked Penny when he saw her behind Ramona.

"Oh I just met Ramona downstairs and we have been chatting about her date with Sheldon." Penny answered.

"Oh yeah. He asked her. I was shocked too." Leonard said.

"Where can I put this?" Ramona asked holding up the food.

"In the kitchen is fine. Sheldon, Ramona is here." He called.

"Oh hello." Sheldon said smiling in greeting coming from his room.

"Sorry I am late. I just got caught so reading the draft of your latest paper." Ramona said to him dreamily.

"Did you enjoy the humorous footnote where I illustrate mirror-symmetry by likening it to the Flash playing tennis with himself?" Sheldon asked her, smirking still amused by his own joke.

"So funny." She laughed. And Sheldon laughed with her. Penny's mouth dropped. She had never seen Sheldon openly flirting with someone. Ramona continued.

"But the idea you may be able to incorporate gravity, I have to tell you, I found physically exhilarating."

"My hypotheses tend to have that effect." He said to her and raised his eyebrows.

"Is he actually flirting with her?" Penny whispered to Leonard.

"I think so." Leonard said.

"I am sorry I didn't bring enough for your friends. I thought we were going to be alone." Ramona said pointedly staring Leonard and Penny down.

"Oh Leonard was just leaving." Sheldon said, giving him the evil eye and ever so slightly gesturing towards the door with his head.

"Oh yeah, I was." Leonard said. "Penny, got any plans for tonight?"

"No why? What are you planning on doing?" She asked him.

"How about dinner and a movie?" He asked.

"Sounds good." Penny said. And the two of them left the apartment.

"Well I can't see that ending up good." Sheldon said to Ramona.

"Why?" She asked him.

"Well they went out one time before and it didn't end well." Sheldon answered.

"But enough about them, let's talk about what you came here to discuss." Ramona says sitting down on the couch. Sheldon breathes a sigh of relief when she chooses to sit in the middle and not in his spot. Sheldon sits in his spot and crosses his legs snd props his head on his hand.

"Yes, now where were we? I believe we were discussing how brilliant I am?"

The two spent the entire evening talking about Sheldon's latest paper and how close he was to that breakthrough with the neutrino issues. After a while he pulled out his boards and they began working on the math in the problems. Sheldon was quite impressed with her level of understanding of the math. They became quite engrossed and did not even hear Leonard arrive back several hours later.

"Hey you two." He said in greeting.

"Oh hi Leonard. You are back early. Another strike out with Penny I assume?" He asked.

"Sheldon, it's 10:30. I've been gone for over three hours." Leonard answered.

"Really? I had no idea. It's getting late. Why don't we get together again later this week and work some more on the math in this problem." Sheldon said to Ramona.

"That sounds great." She answered.

"Well why don't I walk you to your car as it is so late. You never know what kind of riffraff you may meet out on the street." He offered chivalrously. He was extremely enamored with this girl, even hoping that he could maybe kiss her once he was at her car.

"Okay, but it really isn't necessary." She said demurely. The truth was she was kind of hoping he would kiss her at the end of the night. She was grateful he had offered but did not want him to feel obligated.

"Nonsense, I insist." He smiled. "Leonard I will be right back."

"Okay well I am going to call it a night. Goodnight Ramona." He said to her.

"Goodnight, Dr. Hofstadter."

Sheldon and Ramona started walking down the stairs together, walking so close that their hands kept brushing together. Each, time they would a tiny jolt would go through his body. Sheldon decided it was high time for him to make his move, casually slipping her hand into his when they brushed together again. Ramona, delighted, reciprocated grabbing his large hand tightly and the two walked in silence holding hands down the stairs. When they arrived at her car they were a bit awkward, neither one knowing where to go from there. Then Sheldon and Ramona both started to talk at the same time.

"Well this is me." She said.

"Okay, well I had a nice time. You are a very intelligent young woman." He said to her, trying to convey with is eyes his intentions, he nervously licks his lips,not wanting the night to end but unsure how to precede

"Thank you. I had a nice time too." She said brushing her hair back and twirling a strand around her finger, wanting more than anything for him to kiss her.

"So, well, goodnight." He said. He didn't know why he was having such a hard time. He had kissed girls before, not many girls true, but he had done it. Something about this girl unnerved him. Come on Cooper just do it he willed himself, but he stayed rooted to the spot staring at her mouth longingly.

"Goodnight." She said. She turned to get into her car, disappointed she was not going to get a kiss but then she felt Sheldon's hand on her arm. He tugged her arm gently and she turned around to face him and he pulled her in leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I really had a nice time tonight. How about you meet me for breakfast tomorrow morning?" He asked.

She smiled at him. "That sounds good. Goodnight." She said and she gave him another quick kiss that lingered on his lips long after she got into her car and drove away.

Sheldon walked back up to the apartment with a big smile on his face. Leonard was still up when he got back.

"Good night?" He asked when he saw Sheldon smiling.

"Yes. Ramona is a very intelligent young woman." He said.

"Are you going to see her again?" He asked.

"Actually we are meeting for breakfast tomorrow morning." Sheldon answered.

"Wow, really? You must really like her. I've never seen you ask a girl on a second date that quickly."

"Well what can I say? She's smart, insightful and she has a very unique way of you know revering me." Sheldon said.

"Is that the only reason you like her?" Leonard asked a little confused.

"No of course not. She is also funny and come on you saw her. She is really cute." Sheldon said. "She just also happens seems to tolerate my quirks. I appreciate that."

"Okay then, well good for you. I'm going to bed now." Leonard said.

"Goodnight then." Sheldon said. He headed into the bathroom to complete his nightly rituals and then headed to bed himself.

The next morning, Leonard saw Sheldon sitting by himself in the cafeteria.

"Hey I thought you were having breakfast with Ramona." He said when he sat down at the table.

"I am. She is getting it." He answered. Just then Ramona showed up with his omelet.

"Here is your spinach mushroom omelet." She said to him proudly.

"Thank you." Sheldon said smiling at her. "Ramona pointed out that I have been wasting 20 minutes a day standing in cafeteria lines."

"Time which would be better spent tackling the great physics problems of the day." Ramona said smiling back at him.

"You don't tackle the big issues, Ramona. You fence with them." He then playfully fenced her with his knife. "En garde, Riposte." She giggled at his joke.

"Touché.' Leonard said a bit confused. Sheldon was downright nauseating but who was he to ask questions. He seemed to really like Ramona.

From behind them Leslie Winkle came up to the trio. "Morning." She said to Leonard. They were still friends even though things didn't work out for them.

"Oh hi Leslie." He said to her. Sheldon rolled his eyes. He did not need to deal with Leslie this particular morning. He was having a nice time with Ramona and he just knew that Leslie would not miss with a chance to mess with his happiness .

"So Sheldon I see your organizing your papers for the Smithsonian Museum of Dumbassery." She said to him daring him to respond, and Sheldon stares at her trying to think of a zinger when Ramona saves him.

"There won't be room until they get rid of the permanent Leslie Winkle exhibit." Ramona countered. Sheldon was impressed, he never could come up with witty comebacks like that for her.

"Oh good one." He said to Ramona taking her hand and smiling. This action was not unnoticed by Leslie.

"Oh so I see you got a grad student to fight you battles for you. Listen sweetie, I have been there done that with this dumbass. Trust me it is not worth it." She said to Ramona. "Get out while you still have a chance." She warns in a stage whisper putting her hands flat on the table and bending down towards Ramona.

Ramona looked at Sheldon. "What is she talking about?" She asked him.

"I will tell you later." He said to her quietly. Really there was no need to rehash his ill advised dalliance at that moment. He does not want it to affect his relationship with Ramona which is going quite well.

"I'll tell you." Leslie said with a grin on her face thrilled to put a monkey wrench in his romance.. "A couple of years ago,in an event which I refer to as 'the incident that shall not be named' I slept with this idiot. Sheldon thinks he is all that but trust me he isn't worth your time." She told Ramona knowingly

"Okay Leslie, I think that is enough." Leonard said. "Why don't we let these two have their breakfast in peace?"

"Yes, Sheldon is on the verge of a breakthrough. He needs to work in total silence." Ramona urged her to leave. She wanted to talk to him about what Leslie said but didn't think it was the time. She was not really threatened, everyone has a past. They obviously had nothing going on now.

"I'm leaving don't worry. But I'm telling you take my advice. You will regret it if you don't" Leslie said. "See you around dumbass." And with that Leonard and Leslie left the cafeteria.

"So you and Leslie?" She said after they left leaving the question open ended leaving him to tell her what he wanted.

"Not one of my prouder moments." He said to her. There was no need to lie to her now. "It was a one-time thing. And as you can see we both regret it."

"Well everyone makes mistakes." She said to pleased with his answer as it matched her assumptions.. "I have to get to class." She said looking at her watch jumping up,as much she enjoyed the company of Dr. Cooper she did not want to be late.

"I will walk you." He said and they stood up together.

"There is no need. You keep working on that paper. Don't waste your time on me." Ramona said to him.

"Are you sure?" He looked disappointed. "When will I see you again?"

"How about I stop by after classes and pick you up. We can have dinner again tonight and work a bit more." She suggested.

Sheldon smiled at her. "That sounds great. What time is your last class over? I can meet you there."

"I have Quantum Mechanics at 3:30. It ends at 5:00. The class is right near your office. Don't come to me. I will come to you." She said.

"If you insist." He said. "Well get going so you aren't late." He gave her a quick kiss which made her blush and they walked away in opposite directions.

He walked back to his office humming. He was in such a good mood nothing was going to change it. He ran into Howard and Raj as he was rounding the corner. He smiled at them in greeting.

"Good morning gentlemen." Sheldon said to them.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Howard asked.

"Oh it's just a beautiful day and I am more than half way to solving my problem with the neutrinos."

"Wow that's great. So how was your date with Ramona?" Howard asked.

"Well now that you mention it…" He started but Howard cut him off.

"I knew it. You blew it with her didn't you?" He asked.

"Howard let him talk. I don't think he blew it. I've seen him happy about a breakthrough but never like this." Raj said. "He is too happy. What happened?"

"Did you get lucky?" Howard asked. "How was it?"

"Howard, let the man talk!" Raj yelled at him.

"Yes, Howard, let me talk. No I did not 'get lucky' as you so eloquently put it." Sheldon answered.

"I knew it. You struck out. I couldn't believe she even wanted to go out with you if you want my honest opinion." Howard started but then he saw Ramona coming around the corner towards them. "Let me show you how a real man gets the girl." He said.

Ramona walked up to the men and smiled at them. "Good morning." She said in greeting. Raj just smiled at her but Howard started speaking to her immediately.

"Bonjour. Vous êtes adorable ce beau jour." Howard said to her in French.

"

What?" Ramona asked.

"Haven't you ever been told you look lovely in flawless French before?" He asked.

"No." She answered.

"Get used to it." Howard said.

"Ew." She said. "I don't think I will."

Sheldon smiled at her and then thought about what she was doing there.

"I thought you had class this morning." He said to her.

"Oh I did but when we got there, Professor Rothman had left a note on the board saying he had forgotten he had a doctor's appointment and class was cancelled." She answered. "I thought I'd come by your office and help you work out the neutrino issue."

"Oh that is very thoughtful." He said to her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Shall we?" He said holding out his hand to her.

Howard and Raj looked on in utter amazement.

"What the hell?" Howard said finally.

"I guess you were wrong. Sheldon didn't blow it last night." Raj said.

"How is that even possible?" Howard asked.

"Who knows? But who cares, I think it is sweet." Raj answered wishing he could speak to woman and find a grad student of his own..

"I really need to start taking lessons from him in the pick-up department." Howard commented. Raj just rolled his eyes and walked away.

That evening, Ramona met Sheldon for dinner. They stopped at The Cheesecake Factory and then headed back to the apartment. Sheldon had gotten a lot of his work done and was ready to relax. He had worked hard all day and had no intention of working into the night, despite his normal routine. He planned on something special with Ramona that night.

Sheldon was not a smooth operator and wasn't quite ready to try and bed her yet, had been a while and it made him nervous. He did however have intentions of some serious making out. Ramona on the other hand had other plans, she wanted to see Sheldon make his dreams of a Nobel come true.

Sheldon sat down next to her on the couch, putting his arm behind her on the couch. Then moving his and down around her shoulder, and when she seemed receptive pulled her in close. To his chagrin he feels her body tense up and pull away, he is confused she seemed to like him last night when they kissed.

"So have you worked out the neutrino issues yet?" She asked him.

"Well, to paraphrase Mozart, all the subatomic particles are there. I just have to put them in the right order." He answered her. _Why the heck was she worrying about this now? _He thought to himself.

"You're so witty." Ramona laughed.

"Aren't I?" He said. "Now what would you like to do tonight? We can watch Battlestar Galactica, it comes on at nine." He asked.

"Or we could do this…" He leaned over to kiss her place his lips on her softly pressing the tip of his tongue against her lower lip trying to gain access. Ramona kissed him back but kept her lips firmly pressed together, moving her mouth against his with not as much passion as he would have liked. All too soon she pulled away leaving Sheldon hot, bothered, and bewildered.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked her.

"No, it's just I think you should keep working on your research." She said.

"Oh I think it can wait a little bit." He said. He leaned in trying to get another kiss but she turned away.

"Didn't a great man once say 'Science demands nothing less than the fervent and unconditional dedication of our entire lives'?" She asked.

"He did." Sheldon said, knowing it was him that said it.

"And who was that great man?" Ramona asked.

"Me." Sheldon answered. "Dammit you're right. Let's get to work."

The two worked that evening for two hours. At the end of the night, he walked her to her car again and they had a small make out session before she left. Sheldon was feeling really good about this relationship. She kept him focused on his work and he still was getting a little bit of action on the side.

This pattern continued the next few days. Ramona would meet Sheldon after her last class and they would have dinner. Then they would head back to his apartment and she would help him with the work that needed to be done. On Wednesday night, Penny interrupted them while he was on the verge of a breakthrough. Ramona was really sweet with Penny and let her know that Sheldon needed his quiet. Penny had never seen Sheldon so invested in work or a woman.

"Isn't tonight Halo night?" She asked him. Sheldon had a routine and he was not keeping his normal schedule.

"Sheldon is too busy for Halo." Ramona said to her.

"Too busy for Halo?" Penny asked.

"Yes, I am on the verge of a breakthrough. I have let my priorities get away from me. Ramona here is keeping me on track." Sheldon told Penny.

"Wow well good for you." Penny smiled.

The guys were getting worried about Sheldon. They hardly ever saw him. He had lunch in his office with Ramona and very rarely took breaks. At night he went out with her. They spent an awful lot of time together. She seemed to be controlling every aspect of his life. Leonard tried talking to him but was turned away. Sheldon couldn't see what Ramona was doing to him. He was quite smitten and since she was helping him on a path that could lead to a Nobel Prize, he didn't seem to care what the others thought. Leonard went to Penny for help.

"I have never seen him like this with a woman or anyone for that matter. He hasn't stuck to his normal schedule for a full week. Friday night, she slept over but on the couch and on Saturday morning he didn't watch Doctor Who."

"You're kidding me." Penny said shocked.

"No Ramona told him he was wasting his time watching silly science fiction when there was real life science to be solved. She really has a hold on him." He said.

"Have they slept together?" She asked.

"I don't think so, but I can tell you it isn't from lack of trying. I have walked in on them making out a few times but the only time I know she slept here last night but I heard her tell him she would take the couch."

"And he is allowing her to control his life like that?" Penny was shocked. She knew Sheldon was quirky when it came to his science but this was ridiculous.

"Would you like me to talk to him?" She asked.

"Could you?" He said. "The guys and I have tried but he won't listen. It is almost like he is a teenager just waiting for the girl to say yes."

"I will try." Penny responded.

"Thanks."

That afternoon Penny heard Ramona leave the apartment telling Sheldon she needed to run back to her apartment and grab more clothes for the next day. Apparently she was staying the night again. Penny took the opportunity to go over and talk to Sheldon.

"Hey Sheldon." She said upon entering the apartment.

"Hello Penny. Leonard isn't here." He told her.

"Oh I know, I came to talk to you." She said.

"If this is about another party, you can forget it." He said.

"No this is about you and Ramona." She countered.

"What about us?" He asked.

"How is it going?" She asked him.

"It is going really well. She is great." He answered.

"Have you slept with her?" Penny asked.

"I don't see how that is any of your business." He replied.

"So no." She laughed.

"Okay no not yet. But she is staying again tonight."

"In your bed or on the couch again?"

" Well there only so many times a man can say 'How about my bed' before he stops trying, Leonard told you?" He asked.

"Yeah, he and the other guys are worried about you. They think she is controlling you." Penny said to him concerned.

"Controlling me? That is ridiculous. Ramona is simply steering me in the correct direction." He told her.

"Well Leonard told me you haven't been sticking to your normal routine. He told me that you didn't watch Doctor Who this morning."

"That is true but once I have finished this problem I will get back to normal."

"Are you sure? She may find something else for you to do." Penny said.

"I doubt it. She is just encouraging me to finish this problem. I will get back to my normal routine once we finish."

"Will she be willing to go back to your routine?" Penny asked seriously.

"I can't imagine why she wouldn't. We get along great." Sheldon answered.

"Well I hope you are right. Listen we all care about you so just be careful."

"I appreciate your concern but there is nothing to worry about I promise you." Just then they heard the door opening. Ramona came in with a bag of groceries and an overnight bag.

"Oh hello." Ramona said to Penny as much as she was not threatened by Leslie she felt very threatened by this beautiful blonde interloper.

"Hi Ramona. I just came over to catch up with Sheldon. I haven't seen him in a while."

"Oh okay. Sheldon have you gotten anything done since I left?" She asked him knowing the answer, annoyed at his lack of focus and the reason for it standing in front of her.

"Um, no. Penny came over right after you left."

"Well you should get started. You are almost finished." She leaned in and kissed him making a point to make it extra saucy for Penny's benefit. "Keep thinking Nobel and you will be finished in no time."

"Um, yes okay. Well Penny it was nice talking to you." He said and went back to his boards.

"Can I have a word with you?" Ramona asked Penny sickly sweet.

"Sure." She said.

"I'll be right back." Ramona said to Sheldon.

"Okay." He said smiling.

Ramona followed Penny out in the hallway over to her apartment. She had just closed the door when she rounded on Penny.

"I know what is going on." Ramona said to her her voice changing drastically.

"Oh yeah what is that? Because I have a pretty good idea too." Penny countered.

"You are in love with Sheldon." She said to her.

"Um, yeah no that is not it." Penny said almost laughing.

"I can see it. But it will never happen." Ramona said.

"Again, not even close to the truth. What are you expecting from Sheldon?" Penny asked her, not liking this red head and the way she was taking over her friends life.

"I just want to help him get his work done. I happen to have great respect for the man." She answered her.

"Is that all?"Penny asked not fooled in the slightest, this girl had ulterior motives, she just did not know what they were yet.

"What else is there? I like him a lot. He is quite the man." Ramona said saying man suggestively, like she had already claimed him that way, not knowing Penny knew better.

"Well you better not hurt him. He is my friend." Penny said prepared to go all Nebraska on this bitch if she had too.

"I have no intention of hurting him." Ramona said her voice turning sickly sweet again. "Sisters?" Ramona asked holding out her finger.

"Sisters." Penny says taking her finger. "Well then goodbye." Penny said and went in her apartment and closed the door. What a crazy bitch she thinks to her self as she goes to her fridge to pour herself a glass of wine to recuperate from that awkward encounter

Ramona went back into the apartment and found Sheldon working hard.

"I must tell you Sheldon, your friends are holding you back." Ramona said to him.

"I prefer to think I am pulling them forward." He answered her.

"Well anyway, I don't trust Penny. I think she has feelings for you." Ramona told him pouting like a petulant child.

"Penny now that is funny. Are you jealous? Trust me that will never happen." He said to her. He walked over to her and put his arms around her. Then he leaned down and kissed her lingering over her mouth before whispering in her ear, his breath sending tingles down her spine. "I am a one woman kind of guy. You have nothing to worry about."

"I trust you. It's her. She actually asked me what I was expecting from you."

"Well I will have a talk with her later but for now I have just about worked out all the math. I think I deserve a little break, don't you?" He asked hopefully wrapping his hands around her waist and looking down into her face.

Sheldon kissed her again pressing his lips against hers and teasing het mouth open with his tongue. Ramona kisses him back running her tongue against his sighing into his mouth. Sheldon moved them backwards to the couch laying her on the opposite side from his spot. They had done this many times and Sheldon had gotten as far as second base with her. Clumsy juvenile over the shirt fumbling, but she always put the brakes on when he went for more than that. He was just beginning his assault on her neck with his lips when she pulled away yet again.

"If you are that close maybe we should finish it." She said pulling herself up from the couch. Ramona hadn't even realized he had pushed her down and was practically lying on top of her.

"Oh come on it can wait." He said whispering into her ear as he moved his mouth down and kissed her neck again.

Ramona pushed him away. "Not now. Let's finish the math." She said again this time successfully extracting herself from the tangle of limbs.

"Fine. But this isn't over." Sheldon growled, he was getting frustrated. She seemed willing to but always pulled out in the end.

Two hours later, Sheldon had finished. He was ecstatic. The guys had just walked in when he completed.

"I've got it!" He screamed and jumped up and down. "I've finally reconciled the information paradox with my theory of string-network condensates."

The guys looked really impressed. Ramona looked at them.

"It's unbelievable" She said. "It is paradigm altering"

"And I couldn't have done it without you." He said kissing her.

"Oh please, all I did was offer a little encouragement." She said smiling. She was thrilled he was giving her credit. Her plan was working out exactly as she had hoped it would, and she was sure he would be receptive to her next idea, then he would get his reward.

"It was a lot more than that. You helped me work out the masses of all the fermions. What can I do to repay you?" He had an idea but he wasn't pushing her.

She gave him another kiss and then said. "Well would you consider naming it the Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem."

Sheldon pushed her back. "Excuse me? You want me to share credit with you?"

"Well um, yeah. I did help." She said. She could tell by his face this was not going over the way she had thought it would.

"Now I understand what you were after all this time. You were using me to get credit." He was angry, livid, Penny had been right.

"No that is not it. I truly wanted to help." Ramona pleaded.

"And us dating? Was that all a ruse as well?" Sheldon was angry.

"No, not at all. I like you. I really do." She was crying now how had this turned so bad so quickly.

"Well Ramona, I don't share credit with anyone. Do you hear me anyone. Now get out of my apartment. I don't know what to believe anymore. All I can say is I am glad we never slept together." He said angrily.

"Sheldon please." Ramona begged.

"I said get out." He was completely serious his face a stony mask completely devoid of emotion. Such a contrast from the man who only hours early had been peppering her with passionate kisses..

Ramona ran out of the apartment and bumped into Penny on the way out.

"Ramona are you okay?" Penny asked.

"Oh bite me." Ramona said and ran down the stairs.

"Sisters?" Penny calls after her, glad that she is on her way out of her life.

Sheldon was upset at the events that had transpired. Sheldon eventually got his paper written and ready for publishing. He considered putting Ramona's name on it but he was so angry at the fact she used him that he couldn't do it.

About a week after the paper was published the guys were in the cafeteria having lunch again when a young lady came up to the table.

"Excuse me, Dr. Cooper. I'm Kathy O'Brien. I just finished reading your paper reconciling the black hole information paradox with your theory of string-network condensates, and it just took my breath away."

"Maybe when I publish it, I'll include an inhaler." He laughed at his own joke.

"Would you have any time for me to pick your brain?" Kathy asked her.

Sheldon was thinking about Ramona and how his relationship with her started exactly like this. "Well I will be in my office until 5 and then I will be back again tomorrow morning at 8:30. You are welcome to come by anytime and talk about it."

"How about dinner sometime?" Kathy asked.

"Like I said you are welcome in my office anytime. I just got out of a relationship and I am not looking to start another one anytime soon. I am sorry."

"Well okay. Maybe I will stop by tomorrow morning then." Kathy said. She would have liked to get to know him but she wasn't going to push her luck. She could still learn a lot from this man.

The next morning Ramona hurries down the hall towards Dr. Coopers office tears still stinging in her eyes. She has to make him see, to make him understand that all she had done she had done for him, for science. That she had a vision of them being the next power couple of science she would be the Marie to his Pierre. That she had wanted him as badly as he had wanted her. That she had read an article linking sexual frustration to peak moments of mental acuity. That after he had successful worked out the math she was going to give him her virginity. Well that part was not true but she thought the sentiment might be enough to win him back and she could deal with the repercussions later.

As she makes her way down the hall Leslie Winkle steps out of her office behind her and taking in her hunched posture and the tears in her eyes, decides to follow her.

"This should be fun." She smirks to herself.

Sheldon was in s office with Kathy, he was very cordial and the two had a very nice talk. She was very intelligent and had some good insights. Just as she was leaving, Ramona knocked on his door.

"Yes." He said.

"Sheldon, I came by to apologize and see if we could maybe…" But she stopped short when she saw Kathy sitting at his desk. "Well I can see you have moved on. Boy you move fast."

"I don't know what you are talking about." Sheldon said.

"I think I will go." Kathy said. "Thank you Dr. Cooper for talking with me."

"Yeah talk, I am sure that is all he did." Ramona said.

Kathy left quickly. She did not want anything to do with whatever this woman wanted with Dr. Cooper. After she was gone, Sheldon turned to Ramona.

"I don't know what you thought you were going to accomplish coming here today but I can assure you, your efforts were in vain. I want nothing to do with you. And if I choose to move on as you say, that is my business."

"But I really did have fun with you. Can't we go back to where we were?"

"No I am sorry Ramona. You lost my trust when you wanted to share credit."

"But I helped. I didn't think I asked anything too out of the ordinary. Think about we could be the next power couple in science"

"That may be the case but if you knew anything about me, you would know I don't share credit with anyone."

"Well you are just a selfish bastard aren't you? I really must say I am glad we are finished!" She screamed as she left his office. "You really do suck!" She added as she slammed his door.

"I told you." Leslie Winkle said to her standing outside the door listening.

**Well that is all I hope you enjoyed this version. Drop me a review to let me know. I really love all of them.**

**Up next some more comedy from the guys and maybe a new girlfriend for Sheldon, although not Amy quite yet. She's coming I promise.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I can't thank you guys enough for all the love you are showing me for this story. Thanks for the patience in waiting for this to become a Shamy. Your wait is just about over. I think you will be happy by the end of this chapter. Okay check the rating it is now an M rated fic. You have been warned. This is a very long chapter but I didn't want you guys waiting too long for Amy and I had 1 and a half seasons to finish. I hope I did it justice.**

**I need to once again thank Boys3allC for shaping this up into something readable. And thanks for the help with the M rated stuff. **

**I don't any of this...**

Sheldon decided once again that relationships were not worth the effort. He thought he had something good with Ramona but she was just using him for notoriety. He decided to devote his time to science and all that it had to offer. Science would be his only love.

Leonard and Penny had tried again to date while he was with Ramona but it once again proved ill conceived. Leonard was not one for giving up and decided the timing had been off and they were better friends. Sheldon took Penny's advice and did not get involved in Leonard's pursuits at least until he met a girl that Sheldon found worthy. Sheldon thought that Dr. Stephanie Barnett was that girl when she started dating Leonard. Sheldon actually thought that Stephanie would be a good match for himself as well. She was a doctor, highly educated, not to mention she had the kind of lush figure he found attractive. After the debacle with Lalita he learned it was not polite to try and date your friend's girl. So to compensate Sheldon did everything within his power to ensure that Leonard and Stephanie's relationship was successful. However as it turned out his efforts were in vain when Stephanie pushed Leonard into serious commitment too soon, leaving Sheldon grateful he had not pursued her.

Howard tried also to start a relationship with Penny but struck out big time when she gave him a black eye. He never tried again. Sheldon was tired of watching his friends fail at relationships. He gave them a speech about how much better their time would be spent if they actually did their jobs and not worried so much about getting laid. They ignored him and continued their tireless pursuits of women.

They had a visit from Leonard's mother which Sheldon found fascinating. They really hit it off, if Beverly had been twenty years younger and not his best friend's mother he might have found her attractive. However she was exactly what Sheldon had wished for in a mother. Not that he did not love his own mother; she was one of the only people in the world he had ever loved. Yet he found himself wondering if he would have achieved greater things even quicker if he had a mother like her who would have known what to do with his great intelligence. Leonard was wondering if he would have turned out different if he had a Mother like Sheldon's to love and nurture him. Feeling sorry for himself, Leonard found his way into Penny's apartment. Both feeling insecure after run ins with his formidable mother the two almost engaged in intercourse. Leonard blew it once again by proclaiming he was having sex with his mother and she was having sex with her father. It did not go over well.

A few days after a paintball game in which the physics department got creamed, Sheldon and the guys were having lunch in the cafeteria. They were discussing the latest budget cuts the university was doing.

"Did you guys see the new budget memo that went out this morning?" Raj asked them.

"Yeah, more cutbacks." Leonard answered.

"Unacceptable. It baffles me why they don't simply let some of you go so that there's money available for my research." Sheldon said shaking his head sadly.

"You know what baffles me, Sheldon?" Leonard asked him staring him down annoyed.

"Based on your academic record, any number of things, I would imagine." He replied nonchalantly, Leonard has no restrain himself from jumping across the cafeteria table and throttling him.

At that moment Leslie Winkle walked up to the guys. "Hey, guys." She said to them, then looks at Sheldon "And dumbass." He glares at her but says nothing.

"Hey, Leslie." Leonard greeted her.

"Hey." Howard said.

"Howard, I got the approval for the rapid prototyper you wanted." Leslie said to him.

"That's great, Leslie. Thanks." He smiled at her suggestively.

"You scratch my back, I scratch yours. Rawr." She said and made a cat scratching motion.

"What was all that about?" Raj asked him confused.

"Oh, uh, no big deal. They gave Leslie control of some unrestricted grant money." Howard answered.

"Yeah, okay, but what's with the back-scratching and the meow?" Leonard asked.

Sheldon decided to weigh in but he had a feeling he was wrong. "I believe the back-scratching metaphor generally describes a quid pro quo situation where one party provides goods or services to the second party in compensation for a similar action."

"Thank you." Leonard said sarcastically.

"The mrow that sounded to me like an African civet cat." Sheldon commented.

"Are you done?" Leonard asked.

"No. Despite what the name suggests, the civet cat is not a true cat. Now I'm done."

"You know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking Howard wasn't making a back-scratching metaphor. I'm thinking there was some actual scratching involved." Raj commented.

Sheldon rolled his eyes. He knew that is exactly what it meant. Why didn't the other guys see it?

"What about it, Howard?" Leonard asked him.

"Okay, I didn't want to say anything 'cause I know you and Leslie have a little history." Howard said.

"So do we." Sheldon casually commented.

"Say what?" Howard asked. He had no idea that Sheldon and Leslie had a past. Raj looked shocked as well. "Are you telling me that you and Leslie?" Howard started but couldn't finish the sentence because he didn't want to know the answer.

"Yes Howard that is exactly what I am saying. Leslie seems to be going through our little group quite quickly. I have heard of sloppy seconds but sloppy thirds is getting ridiculous, if Raj could speak to women I am sure it would quickly become sloppy fourths." Sheldon answered.

"So now I have to ask, how many girls have you been with?" Howard asked and Sheldon stared at him blankly decided whether to respond or not. Deciding this was about defending his manhood he chooses to go with candor.

"Not that it is any of your business but just two, Leslie and the girl in Germany, Heidi, that I have told you about."

"Not that he didn't try with Ramona." Leonard commented.

"Leonard did you know about this?" Howard asked.

"Of course I did, but I only found out after Leslie used me the first time."

"So you are saying that I slept with someone that both you and Sheldon have also been with?" with a mixture of awe and disgust in his voice.

"That is exactly what I said." Sheldon said exasperated.

"So when did this thing with you and Leslie occur, Howard?" Raj asked trying to change the subject. Now that he knew Leslie had been with all three guys there was no way he would ever go there, sloppy fourths were not his thing.

"Well it happened in the paintball shed. Twice!" Howard answered.

"Is that why you didn't cover our escape and let us get cut down like animals?" Sheldon asked him. They had lost miserably that day.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that." Howard replied sounding not sorry at all.

"My good man, dereliction of duty in the face of the enemy is a court-martial offense." Sheldon said.

"Court-martial, schmort-martial, Leslie Winkle is the fifth girl I've ever had sex with. I mean, for free." Howard said.

"You'd be better off paying for it." Sheldon snorted, not feeling jealous of his friend at all, he could have her.

"But he got a rapid prototyper. That's an expensive piece of equipment, dude. It must be worth it." Leonard commented feeling jealous that he had been rejected where Howard had been accepted.

"Trust me she is not worth it." Sheldon said.

"Well why he is getting prototypers the rest of us have had our budgets cut to the bone." Leonard said, ignoring Sheldon all together.

"Okay, one way to look at this is that I'm getting new equipment, and you're not, and that's unfair. But a better way to look at this is that I'm getting sex and you're not, and that's delightful." Howard said to the three of them.

"Yeah well sex is overrated." Sheldon said truthfully his experiences had left him feeling vastly underwhelmed; courting rituals were too strenuous for the low yield.

"Says the man who hasn't gotten laid in six years." Leonard said not believing him.

"I've had more important things to worry about." Sheldon said.

About a month later, Leonard and Sheldon walked into the apartment building and noticed boxes in the lobby.

"Who moved out?" Sheldon asked. He hadn't heard anything about anyone moving.

"The people in 5A." Leonard answered.

"What?!" Sheldon exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Calm down, Sheldon. I am sure the new tenant will be fine." Leonard said trying to placate his friend.

"How do you know? The people that lived there were perfect." Sheldon answered.

"You didn't even know them." Leonard said.

"That's what made them perfect, there were no awkward hellos in the halls, there was no clickety-clacking of high heel shoes on hardwood floors, they may as well have been a family of cats just jumping around from drape to drape without that annoying ammonia urine smell." He said.

"I'm sure the new people will be fine." Leonard said.

"You can't know that." Sheldon picked up a box and started shaking it.

"What are you doing?" Leonard asked looking around to see if anyone was coming.

"I'm checking for musical instruments." He shook the box again. "Does that sound like castanets to you?"

"The box says kitchen." Leonard said.

"So do cocaine smugglers write cocaine on the box?" Sheldon asked. Just as he was about to put the box down, a blond young lady walked down the steps and saw him handling her box.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hello." Leonard said quickly turning around

"Hello." Sheldon said putting down the box.

"Hello" She said again and the guys said it again. This was reminding Sheldon of when they met Penny. Giving him flashbacks and filling him with dread, not another blonde to steal their food.

"I'm Alicia. I'm moving in upstairs." She said introducing herself.

"That is so great." Leonard said staring. "Oh. I'm Leonard. I live downstairs. Upstairs from here, but under you. Not under you per se, but under your apartment." Leonard was feebly trying to speak with this woman. Sheldon just rolled his eyes. Why the guy had trouble talking to pretty women was beyond him.

"That's nice." She said.

"Yeah it is." Leonard said.

Sheldon whispered to him. "If that concludes your faltering attempt to mate." He walked over to Alicia. He had already checked her out when she turned away from Leonard. Not his type at all, her posterior was nonexistent, but he had to admit she was very pretty.

"Hello." He said.

"Hello." She said back.

"Hello." He said and put up his hand. He wasn't going through that again. "On a scale of one to ten, how light a foot would you describe yourself, with one being not cat-like at all and ten being freakishly feline?" He asked.

"Freakishly feline?" She wasn't quite sure what this guy was asking. If he was trying to hit on her he was not doing a very good job.

"Is that your answer or do you not understand the question?" Sheldon said to her. He ruled out wanting to get involved with this woman immediately. The question was not that difficult to understand. "We'll come back to that one."

"Sheldon…" Leonard tried to stop him but to no avail.

"Hang on. Are you now or have you ever been a salsa, Irish folk or break-dancer?" He asked her.

Alicia answered. "No." She was confused and a bit uncomfortable.

Leonard realized this and said to Sheldon "You're making her uncomfortable."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Well, if it helps you feel any better you're doing very well so far. Next question, are you fertile?"

"What?!" Alicia could not believe the inquiry that she was being given as she was moving into a new apartment. This guy was a stone cold weirdo, if he thought asking if she was fertile would get her to have sex with him he was sorely mistaken. She was beginning to think she should have come over to check out the apartment on a weekend when the tenants were there.

"I'm trying to determine whether crying infants above my head are a possibility." Sheldon told her.

"I have no immediate plans." Especially not with you she thought eying him.

"If that changes let me know. And finally, area rugs, pro or con?" Sheldon asked.

"Pro?" She answered.

"Alicia." He said.

"Yes?" She was wondering what his next question would be.

"Welcome to the building." Sheldon said smiling.

Leonard offered to help Alicia move some of the boxes up to her apartment. She readily accepted his help. Sheldon did not offer to help.

As they were rounding the corner on the fourth floor, Penny came out of her apartment. Not exactly looking her best with her hair pulled up and her sweats on.

"Oh hey guys." She said to them, seeing Leonard caring a large box.

"Hey Penny this is Alicia our new neighbor." Leonard said to her.

They greeted each other both disliking the other immediately.

"I'm helping." Leonard said obviously.

"I can see." Penny said to him smiling a strained smile.

"Alicia's non-musical, childless and pro-rug." Sheldon started smiling. Penny just smiled at Alicia. She knew Sheldon had his quirks and apparently the former tenants were so quiet. Penny had been warned not to tell him they were moving out. "She's still on probation, of course, but I like her." He said smiling at Alicia.

"I'm sure you do." Penny had seen it before. She hoped the guys wouldn't fall under this girl's trap.

"What does that mean?" Sheldon asked her curiously.

"Never mind." Penny said. She did not want to get into it with him at this point.

"Cool t-shirt." Alicia said to her, pointing out her Hillary 2008 shirt.

Penny was mortified. She was out of clean clothes and this new girl looked amazing in her jeans and tank. It was also very rude to point out her clothes when she was obviously not dressed to impress.

"Oh, yeah, I don't usually dress like this. I'm going jogging." She said.

"You don't jog." Sheldon pointed out.

"I can start." She looked at him angrily.

"True, but the more likely explanation for your attire is your out of clean clothes again." Sheldon had no idea why Penny thought to lie to this woman. Penny usually dressed well except when she hadn't done her laundry.

"Thank you Sheldon." Penny said angrily.

"You're welcome, Penny." He said back, clearly missing the sarcasm.

"Please, you look cute. I'm dressed like a slob today too." Alicia said to her. Penny wanted to smack her.

"I think you look fantastic." Leonard said causing Penny to roll her eyes. He had fallen under her spell. She could tell.

"This one's a player huh?" She asked.

"Oh yeah be careful." Penny said to her sarcastically.

"Thanks for the warning." Alicia said. Penny was furious. This woman had Leonard wrapped around her little finger already.

"Okay."

"I'll see you around." Alicia said.

"See ya." Penny said, rolling her eyes once more.

Penny stopped by later in the day and spoke with Sheldon. The rest of the guys were up in Alicia's apartment helping her set up her stereo.

"Dear Lord, do they have any idea what she is doing to them?" Penny asked him.

"You mean using them to get technical support." Sheldon said.

"So you see it too." Penny asked.

"Of course I do. You did the same thing when you first moved in across the hall." Sheldon said.

"What?" Penny asked. "I did not."

"Did we or did we not go and get a television set from your steroid induced ex-boyfriend?" Sheldon asked. "Did we not invite you to have lunch with us? Did we not allow you to use our shower?"

"Okay I get it." Penny said.

"I just hope Leonard doesn't try to start an ill-conceived romance with her like he did with you." He said.

"What are you trying to say? I was not good enough for Leonard." Penny was starting to get angry.

"No actually if you recall, I did try to get you go out with him when he was dating Leslie. You said no."

"It wasn't the right time." Penny said.

"Is now the right time?" Sheldon asked.

"No. I don't think Leonard and I are meant to be." Penny said sadly.

A few days later, Alicia met up with Penny in the laundry room and the two of them ended up fighting. Penny was trying to stick up for the guys and Alicia called her out on all the things she had allowed them to do for her. Penny wasn't taking it and went all Nebraska on her. Penny ended up with a black eye and bruised lip.

About a month later the guys were sitting around the living room playing 20 questions. Howard was still seeing Leslie Winkle. Leonard had just finished his round where he was C3PO when Howard's phone rang.

"It's Leslie." Howard said. "You've reached 'friends with benefits' for a booty call press one now." He said as he answered the phone. Sheldon was confused. He knew what a booty call was but had no idea what "friends with benefits" meant.

"What exactly does that expression mean, 'friends with benefits'? Does he provide her with health insurance?" Sheldon asked.

"No." Leonard said. He couldn't believe Sheldon had never heard that expression before. "Imagine you maintained a friendship with someone you had sex with, but were free to date whoever you wanted."

"Now why would someone want to do that?" Sheldon asked.

"Sometimes people just want the benefits of sex without the commitment of being in a relationship." Leonard answered.

"And Howard has this type of relationship with Leslie?" He asked.

"Apparently." Leonard asked.

"Well I guess I can see the benefits from the sexual release but couldn't he just masturbate and get the same feelings?" Sheldon asked. That is what he did, he found that self gratification was just as satisfying, without all the messy complications.

"Um no." Leonard said.

"Well okay then." Sheldon said, still not quite grasping the concept of the idea but not wanting to ask anything else. Or get into a heated debate about masturbation, perhaps Howard was doing it wrong.

Howard came back to the couch and sat down looking slightly dejected and defiantly not his buoyant self from earlier.

"So where were we?" Howard asked as he sat down.

"Aren't you leaving for your booty call?" Raj asked him.

"No it was something else. Why does everything have to be about sex with you? Come on." Howard answered. "Whose turn is it?"

"We're up to you." Leonard said.

"Great just start." Howard told them.

"Are you from a TV series?" Leonard started with the first question.

"She dumped me!" Howard answered sobbing.

"What happened with Leslie? Why did she dump you?" Raj asked.

"I don't know. She just said 'Howard, Mama's a rolling stone' then her call waiting beeped and she hung up."

"Well that sounds like a typical Leslie dumping." Sheldon weighed in.

"Sheldon not now." Leonard warned.

"Why not? Now three of us in the group have been dumped by her. Raj don't let her fool you. Do you hear me?" Sheldon said to him. "But what I don't understand is why you are so upset. If this was a non-emotional relationship, what is the problem?"

"She obviously had feeling for her." Leonard said to him.

"Of course I had feelings for her. I saw her naked for God's sake." Howard answered.

"What you need to do is get your mind off of it. Maybe we should go to the movies." Leonard said.

"I don't want to go anywhere." Howard said.

"You know I am given to understand there is an entire city in Nevada designed specifically to help people like Howard forget their problems. They can replace them with new problems such as alcoholism, gambling addiction and sexually transmitted diseases." Sheldon said to them.

"Is it me, or was that Sheldon's way of saying 'Vegas baby!'?" Raj asked.

"I've never been there, have you?" Leonard asked them.

They all answered with a no.

"It could be fun. I know my weekend's wide open, not that…" Howard started to cry again.

"Okay, let's do this. Let's go to Vegas." Leonard said.

"Right now?" Howard asked.

"Yes, people do things right now all the time. Go home pack a bag and we will be right now people. I mean I have to pick up a prescription but then we will be right now people."

Raj and Howard left to go pack a bag while Leonard went back to his room to pack his bag.

"Hey Sheldon, are you coming?" He asked him.

"I'd rather have a blowfly lay eggs and hatch larvae in my auditory canal."

"Great we'll bring you back a t-shirt." Leonard said to him.

Sheldon was thrilled. He could have a night alone in his Fortress of Solitude. He went out that night and decided to pick up some Indian food. They never ate it because Raj absolutely loathed it. He also got something that had peanuts and cheese which Howard and Leonard could not have. He had an ideal evening planned. On his way back into the apartment building he ran into Penny.

"Hello neighbor." He said to her.

"Hello Sheldon." She said.

"How are you this fine evening?" he asked sounding in such a good mood that it worried Penny.

"Great." She answered confused, wondering what had gotten into him.

"Good I'm glad."

"Really, are you drunk?" she asked, maybe drunk Sheldon is happy fun Sheldon she muses.

"I'm just in a good mood. While my compatriots are in Las Vegas, I will be enjoying a blissful evening in my Fortress of Solitude."

"That's Superman's big ice thingy?"

"You know I'm in such a good mood, I am actually finding your tenuous grasp of the English language folksy and charming today."

"Mmmmm. What smells so good?"

"My dinner which is Kahai Paneer. An Indian dish which Raj would hate and Leonard and Howard could not eat due to their digestive systems.

"Yum. Well enjoy your big evening." She said to him turning to enter her apartment.

"Penny." He said causing her to turn back and look at him; she wonders if he is going to invite her over." I realize you're also on your own tonight. So if you find yourself with nothing to do, please do not disturb me." There's the old Sheldon she thinks as she rolls her eyes and turns back around.

"Have fun Sheldon."

"Oh I shall."

A few minutes later, Sheldon realized he had locked his keys in his apartment. He had no choice but to stay at Penny's until the building manager could come and unlock it since Penny had locked her keys in the apartment as well when she popped in to borrow milk from the guys. Penny invited him to eat his dinner while they waited for him to arrive. Sheldon tried to make small talk with Penny but to no avail. She just didn't interest him with her benign life. He made her play 20 questions with him and she was bored to tears. She suggested they just talk. He agreed.

"Are you and Leonard 'friends with benefits'?" He asked her trying to get a better grasp of the term.

"What?" Penny said shocked at what he was implying

"Are you and Leonard 'friends with benefits'?" He asked her again.

"Where did that even come from? Did he say we were?" She asked.

"Leonard said no such thing but who knows what goes on over here when he pretends your mail was misdelivered?" Sheldon said to her.

"Just mail, no benefits." Penny sighs, secretly wondering if she would like to pursue that type of relationship with Leonard. All of the fun none of the awkwardness.

"I see." He said musing to himself

"What are you asking?" _Oh god_ she thought,_ what if he proposes being friends with benefits with her_? Sheldon was nice but not her type by any stretch of the imagination.

"Well I understand the concept of the construct. On its face, the idea of satisfying one's sexual appetite without emotional entanglement that seems eminently practical."

"So you are saying you could see yourself having this kind of relationship?" Penny asked curiously.

"I don't know. I can't imagine at least not being interested in some kind of relationship with a girl before engaging in sex. Also I think masturbation is just as an efficient way of channeling ones, shall we say excess energies. "

"Were you interested in the girl in Germany, what was her name?" Penny asked. Curious about the one girl who had come before Leslie, she must have been pretty special. Also she was ignoring the gross masturbation comment; she did not want to think of him jerking it.

"Her name was Heidi and yes very much so, but I was very young, only fifteen when I met her. She was nineteen. I was her professor for a semester, I found her to be exceptionally bright and very attractive. Heidi pursued me heavily while I was still her professor, which was completely inappropriate. I finally relented when her semester was over. It was more of a puppy love thing; I had no idea what I was doing and neither did she. The first time we made love, was about a month before I left to come back to America. We were firsts for each other. I was young. We engaged in sex a couple of more times before I left. Of course at fifteen I thought I was in love, but looking back it seems ridiculous to think I could possibly have been in love."

"What about Leslie?" She asked.

"No purely lust. I liked her don't get me wrong. I wouldn't have done that if I wasn't at least interested in starting a relationship, but I have decided it is kind of like the saying what happens in Vegas. What happens in costumes at conventions stays there." He said.

"Oh I see. And what about Ramona? Were you interested in her?" Penny pried, trying to wheedle as much out of him as she could since he was in a talking mood. It kind of made her sad, his assertion that he had never been in love. Throughout the years Penny had declared herself to be in love hundreds of times. There was nothing like that rush of feeling that comes with being in love for the first time.

"Very much so, she was very compatible with me. However I am glad we never actually had sex. After I found out she was using me I felt, so…betrayed…it was just not meant to be." He sounded so wistful, and the way he said betrayed melted Penny's heart.

"Oh sweetie, I am sure there is someone out there that is. I told you that before." Penny said to him wishing more than anything she could find someone to love this adorable dork.

"I remember but like I have told everyone already, I am not interested in finding love." Sheldon said annoyed. He didn't understand why she was so insistent that he find love?

"You know what, maybe you are right. Love will find you when you least expect it Sheldon, I guarantee you." She said grabbing his arm.

"Thank you Penny." He said hoping this line of questioning was over.

"Oh you're welcome, sweetie. Well it looks like the manager isn't getting over here tonight. You are welcome to stay here. I will even take the couch since it is so small."

Sheldon heard Leonard arrive home the next morning. He thanked Penny for her hospitality and walked out of her apartment to meet Leonard.

"Oh good, you're finally home." He said to him as a way of greeting.

"What were you doing at Penny's?" He asked extremely confused

"Well, we had dinner, played some games, and then I spent the night. Oh and you'll be happy to know that I now have a much better understanding of 'friends with benefits'." He said to him.

"What?!" Leonard said following him into their apartment."Is this another sloppy second's situation." Leonard said angrily, not that he had engaged in intercourse with Penny.

"Sloppy seconds…wait to you think that Penny and I… that we…"

"Did it! Yes! Didn't you?"

""Why on earth would I have sex with Penny?" Sheldon asked.

"You spent the night with her and she explained to you what friends with benefits meant? What else is that supposed to mean?"

"I spent the night at her apartment because I was locked out, she let me sleep on her bed because I am too tall for her couch, and she explained with **words** what the term friends with benefits meant."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense now."

"First, Penny and I are not even close to being compatible. And second, I don't do that to my friends. If I learned one thing from my brother growing up is you don't date a girl your best friend is interested in." Sheldon said to him. "My brother ended up in more than one fight because of this. Also after Lalita and Raj, I learned my lesson."

"Oh well thank you Sheldon." Leonard said.

"You're welcome. Plus Penny will always be more like a sister to me. She really does give great advice and is a terrific friend. Even if she is always trying to get me to fall in love"

"That is a really nice thing for you to say."

"I know." Sheldon said. The truth was, he had seen the way Penny had recently been looking at Leonard ever since the Alicia incident. He knew it was only a matter of time before the time was right for these two to finally get together. Whether or not it would work was up to them but he definitely saw the signs.

Several weeks later, Sheldon was offered a chance to go to the North Pole with the NSF expedition when a space opened up at the last minute. He was very up in the air about it at first because he had chosen his field of study because it was indoors. However if he was able to detect slow moving monopoles while there he would be the physicist who confirmed string theory. The guys were very anxious for him to go. But then Sheldon asked them to go with him.

Howard was the only one who was reluctant to go with him. He thought he would kill him. They all wanted to be a part of team which could possibly confirm string theory. In the end they all decided to go with him. Three months in the North Pole was a long time to be away. Penny was very surprised and disappointed that Leonard was going away for three months. She bought Leonard a blanket with arms to wear while he was there. Sheldon saw the signs that Penny was going to miss him and was very grateful they were not in a relationship at the time.

When they returned three months later, Sheldon had great results. He was entirely certain there was a Nobel Prize in his future. When Leonard went to tell Penny they were back she greeted him with a kiss and their relationship began. It started out bumpy when Sheldon found out the results were from an electric can opener and the guys had tampered with his results. Sheldon ran away and Leonard and the guys had to follow home to Texas. After forgiving them, they returned home.

Howard brought up a pact that was made on June 30, 2004. The pact said that if one of the guys got a girlfriend they would get them to set them up with one of her friends. Leonard was reluctant to ask Penny this as he did not want to ruin what he had with her. She on the other hand was reluctant as she wanted to keep all her friends but then decided to set him up with her friend Bernadette. The two of them hit it off after bonding over their overprotective mothers.

They started dating for a while but kind of hit a bump after Howard was reluctant to think about a commitment after three dates. Bernadette implied that three dates meant sex. He had no idea. She told him to think about it for a while and get back to him about it. He decided that he wanted to be with her so he went to the Cheesecake Factory and made a fool of himself by proposing after three dates. He then sings a song for her and she forgives him and they begin dating again.

One night when Leonard and Howard went on a double date with the girls, Raj convinced Sheldon to go to a University mixer with him. He had to bribe him with his limited edition Green Lantern lantern but he went. When they arrived, Sheldon asked what his purpose for being there was. Leonard thought that would be a better way to spend his days rather than suspiciously taking a longer than necessary shower after receiving a certain magazine in the mail. The guys were curious about this and inquired so Leonard revealed that Sheldon had a thing for women with larger rear ends. The guys were merciless on him. They knew he always tended to check out the girls asses but never knew why. They teased him for a month about it.

"Sheldon you are my wingman. As my wingman, you just nod and agree with me when I tell my story to a woman." Raj said to him.

"So I lie." Sheldon said. "The purpose is for us to find you someone to copulate with correct?"

"Yes but if you find someone, I will lie for you." Raj said.

"I am not here to meet anyone. I have told you time and time again I have no desire to find someone to copulate with" Sheldon said.

"You never know, you might find the large assed, big brained, woman of your dreams here. Now let's get a drink." Raj said as he walked towards the drink table.

"I do not dream about ample reared intelligent women!" Sheldon called as he went to follow him . "Although I might now." He mumbled to himself.

The two of them went to the bar. Raj ordered a screwdriver while Sheldon ordered his usual rum and coke. He felt that one drink would help him loosen up a bit. There were a lot of cute girls at this party. Right after they got their drinks a woman walked up to them.

"Hey, that's pretty cool. What is it?" She asked Sheldon.

"It's a limited edition Green Lantern lantern. My friend is looking for someone to copulate with." Sheldon answered her.

"You're very funny. I'm Abby." She said introducing herself.

"I'm Sheldon. How do you do?" He said to her. Raj had yet to speak.

"How do you do? Rajesh Ramayan Koothrappali. Call me Raj." Raj finally said after taking a sip of his drink.

"Hi, Raj. Where are you from?" Abby asked him.

"The mysterious subcontinent of India." Raj said to her.

"Ooh, India." Abby said impressed.

"You know India?" He asked her.

"I saw Slumdog Millionaire." Abby answered.

"Well, I'm a slumdog astrophysicist." Raj told her.

"I thought your father was a gynecologist." Sheldon said to Raj. Raj gave him a dirty look. He was not lying like he was told to do. "I'm sorry." He said to Raj, then turned to Abby nodded and smiled.

Abby saw her friend walking by and called to her. "Martha, come here. Meet Raj and Sheldon. This is my friend, Martha."

"Hi." Martha said to them.

"Hello." Raj and Sheldon said together

Martha noticed what Sheldon was holding and was very impressed. "Is that the limited edition Green Lantern lantern?" She asked him.

"In brightest day, in darkest night, no evil shall escape my sight." He said to her and then put his green lantern ring in the lantern and it turned on.

"Oh, that is so awesome." Martha said to him.

"Thank you." Sheldon said to her. She was quite cute. And knew the Green Lantern. Since it was also a mixer for science and math students, he figured she was probably pretty smart too.

The two of them ended up taking the girls back to the apartment to play Rock Band. They had a wonderful evening. Sheldon had quite the conversation with Martha and found her very enjoyable. Raj and Abby left the apartment a little earlier than Martha. They found the two to be engrossed in their conversation. They were discussing the choices for the Green Lantern movie which was going to be released in 2011.

"I can't believe they won't consider Nathan Fillion in the roll of the Green Lantern." Sheldon said to her.

"I know. He is so good in everything he does. I still can't believe they cancelled Firefly." Martha said to him.

"Ryan Reynolds. Why him?" Sheldon said.

"No idea. He hasn't proved himself to be worthy of a superhero roll." She agreed.

"Wow. I couldn't agree with you more." Sheldon said.

"So I probably know the answer to this question, but have you been to Comic Con?" Martha asked.

"Of course. Have you?" He said.

"No and I finally got tickets to go this year." Martha said. "I have never been so excited to go someplace before."

"Oh well it is a fantastic time." Sheldon said to her. "My friends and I have gone every year for the last seven years."

"That is awesome." Martha said to him.

"It really is. Well it is getting late and I do have to work in the morning. So why don't I walk you to your car since your friend left." Sheldon said to her.

"Oh, okay." Martha said disappointed. She figured Abby had gone home with Raj and she was kind of hoping to have a hook up that night. She was mistaken.

They walked down to her car and Sheldon gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, being a polite gentleman he thought it was expected. He found Martha to be engaging and very nice he just was not interested in pursuing a relationship. Especially after the way things had gone south with Ramona

"It was really nice talking to you tonight. Drive safe." He said to her.

"Okay goodnight." Martha said to him. She was truly upset, she thought she had finally met someone that shared her interests a little bit.

The next night she got a call from Abby saying that Raj wanted to see her again. She didn't understand why Abby needed her to come as well since it was obvious Sheldon was not interested. Abby told her that Raj said he would only see her if Sheldon could be there as well. Martha was not convinced. Sheldon had shown little interest in her the night before and had no desire to spend another evening disappointed.

Raj meanwhile was having an equally hard time convincing Sheldon to agree to a second date with Martha.

"I don't get it. You had a great time last night." Raj said to him.

"Yes, exactly, I had a great time. That's done, I've moved on to other things. She was very nice and I had a great talk with her but that is all." Sheldon said to him. The truth was he was scared to fall for another girl only to be disappointed in the end. Woman were more trouble than they were worth and he would rather be alone, than heartbroken.

"Please, Sheldon, I'm a lost Indian boy far from home, and I want a girlfriend and I want her to be Abby, and she'll only come over if she can bring Martha." Raj pleaded.

"Raj, I highly doubt there is any argument you can make, threat you might levy, rhetorical strategy, plea, invocation, supplication, or… vetoomus that you can employ that would convince me to reconsider." Sheldon said. The last statement was in Finnish which he was attempting to learn. He was playing hard ball. He had seen Raj bring in a bag and hoped to get bribed into going again. He was not disappointed.

Raj reached into the bag he had brought with him and pulled out his Incredible Hulk hands "My Incredible Hulk hands signed by Stan Lee." Raj said to him.

Sheldon was taken aback. He couldn't believe Raj was willing to give them to him. "Oh, my. I've admired these for years." He said putting them on his hands.

"So does that mean we can go with the girls again?" Raj asked.

"Hulk agree to second date with puny humans!" Sheldon said to him.

Abby and Martha showed up about an hour later. Abby and Raj sat and talked for a while sitting on the large arm chair. After a while they started making out it was getting pretty hot and heavy. Sheldon and Martha tried to ignore it by having a discussion of their own.

Meanwhile Sheldon and Martha were having another wonderful discussion. Sheldon was really beginning to admire the thoughts this woman had. They were discussing Flatlands.

"Flatland is more than just a mathematical essay. It is also a treatise on Victorian social mores." Martha said to Sheldon.

"You know, I had never considered that. Wow, that's going to completely change my visits there." Martha laughed at his joke. Sheldon just smiled at her. She was very impressed with her insights. They both looked over at Abby and Raj.

"Can you believe these two?" Sheldon whispered to her.

"Yeah, it's kind of uncomfortable." She said.

"Well it is my bedtime so good night." He tells her getting up and going to his bedroom to get ready for bed.

"Okay." Martha said staring at the door that he had retreated behind. Was he playing some kind of game with her? Did he want her to go in there after him or did he honestly expect her to sit on the couch in an unfamiliar apartment while her friend went at with this dude. Martha made her decision and gets and goes to the door he went behind and knocks lightly.

"Hey, listen they are going at it pretty hard out there and I was wondering if it would be okay if maybe I stayed in here for awhile." She asked looking up at him, he is wearing pajamas and a robe so she guessed he was serious about going to bed.

"That's understandable" Says moving aside for her to enter. "I will go sleep in Leonard's room." He says moving to leave

"Listen." Martha started grabbing his arm and pulling him back inside "I'm not sure what you're thinking right now but I want to assure you that I am okay with this just being a hook up. I am not really looking to start any kind of relationship. I just got out of a nasty one about a month ago."

"So this would be like a friends with benefits situation, we could both find sexual release without the need for a messy and complicated relationship?"

"Wow, I have never heard it put quite like that but essentially yes." She giggles stepping closer to him.

"Yeah so how do we proceed?" Sheldon said a little shakily.

"Why don't we just start by doing this." She says as she stands on her tiptoes and kisses him he hardly has time to react before she pulls her lips away. "Then see where it goes from there." Martha said.

"Fine with me." Sheldon said and he leaned in and kissed her again this time with a little more meaning. He softly pressed his tongue against her lips and she opened her mouth allowing his tongue access.

The two of them tangled their tongues together in a dance. Sheldon moved his hands slowly to her hair and tangled them around her brunette locks. Her hands meanwhile were on his chest and her arms slowly made their way around his neck. He soon began a kissing assault on her neck. She moaned when he found a small spot behind her ear that made her shiver with anticipation. He hands found their way to her chest and he gently pulled at her nipples through her shirt. When she let out an appreciated sigh he knew he was doing something right. He took off her sweater and started kissing the tops of her breasts as she pulled the robe off his shoulders and started working on his pajama top.

Once she had gotten the shirts off he reached around to unhook her bra. He fumbled a bit as it had been a long time since he had done this and she had to help him get the last hook unclasped. Once it was off he took her left nipple into his mouth while his hand tugged lightly at her right. She leaned back to allow his mouth better access and lets out an inaudible moan of his name. Her hands had made their way to his pants and she rubbed the outline of him. He was getting harder by the minute, aching to be released. She pulled down his pajama bottom them down along with his underwear and wrapped her hand around his length. She began pumping him but he stopped her.

"If you continue to do that we will be finished before we begin." He knew it had been a while and he was building up quickly.

"Oh." She said turned on that she was having such an effect on him and kissed him again.

He removed her pants, then hooked his fingers in the band of her panties. He continued his kisses on her breasts teasing each nipple while his hands slid into her panties and found her wet and ready. His mind was telling him that what he was doing was wrong but his body had other plans. It didn't take him long to find the spot he was looking for and he began to rub her clitoris and she moaned. She tried to reach for him again but he did not want to end before beginning and he knew it wouldn't take long once he started.

"Not yet" he told her, "I want to make sure you feel pleasure as well." He told her honestly, especially if this was a one-time thing.

"Oh I am sure I will." She moaned

He removed her panties and slowly inserted one finger inside of her swirling it around pressing against her tight walls and found a spot which made her scream out in pleasure. He was in the right place and he continued his efforts and he began to feel her clamping around his finger. He inserted a second and continued his slow tortuous assault while simultaneously rubbing her clitoris with his thumb and she lost control. She screamed his name and began to convulse around him his fingers. When she came down from her high she kissed him and pulled him to her.

"Now?" she asked desperately wrapping her hand around him again and stroked him.

"Now" he affirmed as he reached around her to his nightstand where he happened to have condoms, which he had bought while dating Ramona. There was no way he was going to allow a one night stand to turn into fatherhood.

Sheldon rolled the condom on and placed himself between her legs and then hesitated. Here he was having sex for the first time in six years and it was yet another one night stand. The thought disheartened him a little. He thought he was stronger than that. He thought about stopping altogether. Then she leaned up and kissed him again pressing herself against him. She grabbed him and ran him along her moist length swirling the tip around her clitoris before positioning him at her threshold. Not being able to help himself any longer he plunged into her. He found a rhythm rather quickly and she moved right along with him. Soon he felt the build-up and lost control. He plunged in and out and finally lost all of it. His orgasm came with calling out to a God he did not believe in and collapsing on top of her. He slowly rolled off and the two fell asleep exhausted from their escapades.

The next morning, Sheldon woke up alone. He found a note on the pillow next to him. It said that she had a wonderful time and didn't regret anything. She knew they were not meant to be together and she was alright with that. She also left him her number if he ever was interested in getting together again. Sheldon put her number in his nightstand but knew he probably would never use it again. This friends with benefits thing just was not for him. The act itself had been wonderful, but now he felt hollow inside, just as used as he had with Ramona.

Raj, who had struck out with Abby after telling her he loved her before he had even gone out with three times, had heard about the hook-up. He mentioned it one day while the guys were having lunch. Howard almost spit out his entire lunch and Leonard wasn't fazed as he had heard about it from Sheldon. Sheldon took it in stride and told the guys that maybe giving in to ones baser urges once in a while would do him some good.

Leonard and Penny broke up after eight months. He dropped the L word too soon and Penny was unable to say it back. She dumped him during a bowling competition they were having with Stuart from the comic book store. A month later Penny was dating again. The guys were doing an experiment involving lasers and the moon. Leonard thought Penny would enjoy it. He went down to her apartment to get her. He knocked on her door and she answered quickly

"Oh, hi. What's going on?" She said to him

"We're up on the roof bouncing laser beams off the moon." Leonard answered her.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asked.

"It's pretty cool. We've got a two-meter parabolic reflector and everything. I thought you might want to see it." He said.

"That makes no sense." Came another voice from the apartment.

Penny introduced Leonard to Zack and told him they were headed to a party. Zack wanted to see the laser thing so they all went to the roof. Zack was afraid the guys were going to blow up the moon. Sheldon then realized that even he was too stupid for Penny. After they left for the party, Howard told Leonard all about the joys of online dating. Leonard said he was fine with Penny dating someone new and he would eventually find someone.

Sheldon had been a little off the last couple of months. He was being more of a pain in the ass than he usually was and Raj thought he had the change locked down to his fling with Martha.

"Dude, I think that girl loving and leaving him messed him up bad." Raj told Howard.

"Don't be stupid he said it was a friends with benefits thing, he has not talked about her since." Howard sad shrugging.

"That may be so, but I still think he is lonely, we need to find him a lady. Like when Frankenstein's monster was lonely and they found him a wife.

"They did not find him a wife they built him one out of spare parts." Howard scoffs.

"Oh no no! You two just sit on my couch and watch my cable and eat my food that is fine." Sheldon calls from the hall as he walks in to the kitchen grabs a bottle of water then storms back into his room.

"We will call that plan B." Raj said looking at Sheldon's firmly shut door.

Howard and Raj decided to have some fun and set up a profile for Sheldon. They were surprised when three days later the dating site found someone that was supposedly Sheldon's perfect match. They wrote notes to her for two days and then she wanted to meet him. They had no idea how they were going to get him to sold on the idea to go on this date. Raj had already used his two best bribes getting him to go out with Martha. They were talking about it in his apartment when Sheldon came out from his room. Sheldon caught the tail end of the conversation before weighing in.

"Well, him about to find out about her." Howard said. Sheldon was confused but then Raj spoke.

"Really? Us gonna tell him?" He asked.

Sheldon decided to play along. "Who's going to tell whom about what?" He asked.

"Sheldon. Hey." Howard said.

"Hi." Raj said surprised.

"Your surprise confuses me. I live here." Sheldon said.

"Right. So, listen, what are you doing tomorrow afternoon?" Howard asked.

"Be more specific." Sheldon said. Afternoon could mean noon or 3:00.

Howard answered "Four thirty."

"That's not afternoon. That's preevning." Sheldon clarified.

"What?" Howard asked confused.

"It's a time of day I invented. It better defines the ambiguous period between afternoon and evening. Preevning. I'm fairly certain it will catch on as it fills a desperate need." Sheldon answered.

"Right, okay. What are you doing tomorrow preevning?" Raj asked.

"Well, tomorrow's Saturday. Saturday night is laundry night, so I'll be spending the preevning pre-sorting and pre-soaking."

"Okay, what if I were to tell you, tomorrow, at 4:30 you could meet a woman who has been scientifically chosen to be your perfect mate?" Howard asked.

" I would laugh at your tomfoolery. There is no way a computer program could scientifically choose a mate for me. Plus you guys answered the questions. The math they use is complete hokum." Sheldon said. Groaning inwardly, first Penny and now them why was everyone so hell bent on finding him a mate. The Ramona had technically been a perfect match for him, if there ever was one. Sheldon just had to face it, there was someone out there for everyone, just not for him.

"Well the funny thing is that is exactly what we said you attitude toward online dating was. Howard thought mumbo jumbo but I said you would say hokum." Raj laughed.

"So what do you say do you want to meet this woman?" Howard asked.

"No. There is no reason for me to meet anyone. How many times do I have to tell you guys that I don't need nor want a girlfriend. I am perfectly happy by myself." Sheldon scoffed, he had had enough. Every foray into dating he took ended up miserably, he just was not built for quick meaningless sex. Which is what any woman prowling around on a dating website would no doubt be interested in.

"Alright Sheldon you left me no choice, I didn't want to do this." Raj said.

"I have an email ready to go to your mother telling her all about the magazines you have hidden in your sock drawer. How do you think she would feel about her little boy looking at that kind of filth?" Raj said to him seriously. Giggling inwardly, Sheldon's kryptonite his mommy.

"You wouldn't." Sheldon said unsteadily. His mother had no idea the magazines she found when he was thirteen were in fact his. She blamed his brother and George never said anything because he had no idea Sheldon had such magazines.

"Do you want to risk it?" Raj asked.

"Fine. I will meet this woman, but when it is a complete bust I will give you a look of haughty derision." He conceded, angry that Raj and hoodwinked him into this hare brained scheme. This was only going to end badly, just like Leslie, just like Martha.

The next day, Sheldon, Howard and Raj made their way to the coffee shop down the road from the apartment building. Sheldon was still scoffing at the idea of a woman being scientifically chosen as his perfect mate. He made the decision not only to look at them with haughty derision but also use "I told you so" all the way home. Little did he know as he walked into that shop who was waiting for him.

**Okay we all know who comes next and now we have a Shamy. I hope you will like how I develop them as a couple. And I hope you like the way he was blackmailed into meeting her...**

**Next up what will happen when Sheldon meets a cute bespectacled neuro-biologist with hair the color of mud?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So I got two chapters done this week. Writing Amy and Sheldon is so much easier than the other stuff. Once again I need to thank all of you who have reviewed this story. I wish I was able to answer each and every one of you especially the guests but know that I love you guys for the smiles you put on my faces. Now that we have some history of Sheldon and his past dating life, let's move on to some Shamy. Here is their first encounter...so much different than what we saw at the coffee shop. I hope you like it.**

**I have to thank Boys3allC for reading this as fast as she did. I only sent it to her last night. So enjoy the second chapter this week. **

**I wish I owned these characters but sadly others do.**

_The next day, Sheldon, Howard and Raj made their way to the coffee shop down the road from the apartment building. Sheldon was still scoffing at the idea of a woman being scientifically chosen as his perfect mate. He made the decision not only to look at them with haughty derision but also use "I told you so" all the way home. Little did he know as he walked into that shop who was waiting for him._

Sheldon opened the door and was met with the nauseating smell of coffee. He rolls his eyes ready to find fault with anything in this ridiculous situation.

"Why did I let you guys talk me into coming here? Couldn't we have met somewhere else?" He asked them or not at all he thinks eying the crowded coffee shop with disgust.

"This is where she wanted to meet." Howard said looking around and his eye catching on an attractive red head waiting at the counter.

"Oh great, so she is some caffeine addicted junky." He said.

"No she was just trying to be convenient for you since you don't drive." Raj answered him trying to placate him.

"She knows I don't drive? Why does she need to know that?" Sheldon said a bit embarrassed. He thought if his friends were trying to talk him up to this woman pointing out one of his few faults was not his idea of talking him up.

Just then a woman wearing a purple sweater walked up to him. Sheldon took note of how sensibly she was dressed. He was so used to women being dressed in barely any clothing it was nice to see someone so covered. He didn't know what this woman wanted but she seemed to be walking towards him.

"Excuse me. I'm Amy Farrah Fowler, you're Sheldon Cooper." She says frankly sticking out her hand which he shook limply.

"Hello Amy Farrah Fowler. Are you the one I am meeting today?" He asked sizing her up. He approximated her height to be around five foot three, he stood almost a foot taller than her. If she was intimidated by his stature she did not show it, he found himself admiring her petite size. Both Heidi and Ramona had been rather tall for woman, still not as tall as him, but tall.

"I suppose I am." She answered looking him steadily in the eye..

"Well I am sorry to inform you that I don't believe in the mathematics that these so called dating websites have to offer. In addition I am being blackmailed with an email to my mother."

"Your mother? I don't think I understand." Amy said to him.

"No worries. There are just some things I don't need my mother knowing about me and my friends think it is funny to threaten to tell on me." Sheldon said to her.

"Well I am here because of an agreement I have with my mother to go out on a date once a year." She said.

"Interesting, my mother and I have the same agreement about church." Sheldon told her. He was intrigued.

"I don't object to the concept of a deity, but I am baffled by the notion of one that takes attendance." She admitted. She wasn't sure if this man believed but she wanted him to know her views. She wasn't sure why either but something about this man intrigued her. Judging by his profile and eloquent way he spoke he was very well educated, and looking at him first hand he was very handsome as well. Amy decided it best to give him her signature line now, before she got to attached. She wanted to see what kind of man he really was.

"Well then you might want to avoid East Texas." He said to her.

"Noted. Now before this goes any further you should know that all forms of physical contact up to and including coitus are off the table." She said staring him down waiting for the inevitably negative reaction. This usually sent the men running and she was curious as to how long it would take him to leave.

"Well I guess I could live with that." He said. "For now." He thought, taking stock of her body, something told him she had quite the figure hiding under all those layers. A figure he was now very curious about unwrapping, but he could wait for her. He had just told his friends that he, himself was not interested in a sexual relationship.

"What was that?" She asked looking at him curiously.

_Drat_, he thought, he inadvertently mumbled that last part out loud.

"Oh nothing." He said embarrassed. "Can I buy you a beverage?" He asked. He was fascinated by this woman. She dressed conservatively, seemed very intelligent and wasn't letting sex rule her life. She could become a very good friend and maybe more someday if she was open to it.

"I'm not much of a coffee drinker." She said and he smiled at her.

_So she's not a caffeine junky._ He thought relieved.

"Neither am I. But I do drink tea. This place doesn't look like it has much of a selection." He said looking at the menu. "This may sound a bit forward but how would you like to come back to my place and I can make us a cup? I have 10 different varieties." He asked. Amy looked at him trying to decide if he was trying to pull something or not. Her mother warned her about going to strange mens' houses on the first date. Dr. Sheldon Cooper certainly did not seem like a deranged sex crazed murderer but you could not judge a book cover. However looking into his guileless blue eyes, something about him made her trust him completely

"You know, that sounds acceptable. Just keep in mind, no funny business." She reminded him.

"Of course." Sheldon said. "Do you drive? I don't have a car and my friends are just leaving." He says pointed looking at Howard and Raj indicating to them with a slight shake of his head that he would like them to go.

"I can drive you." Amy said.

With that the two walked past Howard and Raj who stood frozen to the spot in the coffee shop looking at their retreating backs shocked. They did not know what they had expected, certainly not finding the female version of Sheldon.

"Good God what have we done?" Howard said to Raj.

"I don't know but she seems perfect for him." Raj said.

The two made their way to Amy's car. Sheldon gave her directions to the apartment. While they were in the car Sheldon began asking her questions.

"So Amy what do you do for a living?" He asked

"I am a neurobiologist at UCLA." She answered.

"Hmmm, biology, the study of icky squishy things." Sheldon commented making a grossed out face which she caught in her peripheral vision.

"Actually I study the brain, not just the icky squishy stuff." She said to him.

"Oh well I guess that is a little different." He said.

"Well what do you do?" She asked a bit insulted.

"I am a theoretical physicist at Cal Tech." He answered proudly.

"What is your area of study?" She asked.

"String Theory." He replied.

"Any new developments in the field?" She knew the answer as it would have been all over the scientific world. Her chance to had a jab at his field since he had insulted hers.

"Not recently. I thought I had made some progress several months ago when we came back from the North Pole but it turned out my friends had fudged the results." He said.

"That was you? When the email came through the physicists at UCLA it was all the talk in the science department." She told him, she thought his name sounded familiar but she had not been able to place it. Dr. Cooper was quite the rock star in the science world.

"I never sent any emails to UCLA but I bet my boss did. I was so excited. I was sure it was my ticket to the Nobel Prize."

"Oh are you going to win a Nobel Prize too?" She asked. She had never met someone who had the same goals as she did.

"Are you?" He asked. This woman was so intriguing.

"I plan on it. My studies have taken me to a part of neurobiology that has never been discovered before. Once I have it proven I am sure to win a Nobel."

"You seem sure of yourself." He commented.

"So do you." She said.

"I guess you are right. Well now that I know what you do, tell me more about yourself. What do you do you for fun?" He asked.

"Well I read a lot. I don't have many friends. I love Medieval Literature, especially Chaucer. I love Little House on the Prairie. And I play the harp. How about you?"

"Well I love comic books and science fiction. Star Wars is my favorite. Have you ever seen it?" He asked.

"I think when I was little. My father may have taken me." She answered. "Was that the one with the shiny robot?" She asked.

"Yes, C3PO. My friends say I look like him." He said looking over at her and moving his arms in a robotic like fashion, making her giggle. He smiled. He could get used to that sound.

"I can see that. Well it wasn't for me but my dad liked it."

"So how about family? You mentioned your father, do you have any siblings?" He asked.

"My father died when I was ten. I don't have any siblings. My mother still lives in Santa Barbara. I have a couple of aunts and uncles and many cousins." Amy had never shared this much about herself on a date. Usually the man was gone within the first twenty minutes, especially after her speech about coitus being off the table. She had no idea what this man was all about but she was fascinated by him. He seemed so intelligent.

They arrived at his apartment ten minutes later and began the trek up the stairs. Sheldon let her walk ahead of him up the stairs so he can assess his favorite body part.

_ Nice_ he thought as he watched it undulate under her skirt as she walked up the stairs. The comment Raj made about meeting the "large assed, big brained woman of his dreams" came to his mind and he grinned to himself. _If such a woman is out there then this is surely her_. He thought.

"Sorry about the elevator, it has been broken for some time." He said.

"No worries, I am not a fan anyway." She said.

_Neither am I right now._ He thought as he continued to watch her ascend the stairs.

When they arrived in his apartment, they found Leonard sitting watching television.

"Oh hello Leonard, I thought you were out this evening." Sheldon said to him.

"No." Leonard answered. He hadn't seen that Sheldon had company until he sat up. "Oh hello, I didn't know you were expecting company tonight." He said to Sheldon.

"Leonard this is Amy Farrah Fowler. Amy this is my roommate, Dr. Leonard Hofstadter."

"Hofstadter. I know that name. You don't happen to be related to a Dr. Beverly Hofstadter are you?"

Leonard couldn't believe this woman had heard of his mother.

"As a matter of fact, he is. She is his mother." Sheldon said.

"It's nice to meet you Amy." Leonard said quickly changing the subject.

"Nice to meet you. Do you work at Caltech also?" She asked.

"Yes I am an experimental physicist. What do you do?" Leonard asked her.

"I work at UCLA as a neurobiologist." She answered.

It made sense that she would have heard of her now that he knew she studied almost the same field as she did.

"What kind of tea would you like Amy?" Sheldon asked as he pulled down his box of tea bags.

"Do you have Red Zinger?" She asked.

"Yes I do." He answered pulling down two mugs from the cabinets. He put the water on to boil.

Leonard got a text message from Howard telling him they were heading out to dinner and wanted to see if he wanted to tag along. They also wanted to get the scoop on Sheldon and Amy at the apartment.

"Hey I am going to get out of your hair. I'm meeting Howard and Raj for dinner. It was nice meeting you Amy. Have a good night." Leonard said and left the apartment.

Sheldon and Amy sat down on the couch with their mugs of tea. Gratefully she sat on the middle cushion, Sheldon was relived he would not have to make any explanations as to the importance of his spot. Somehow he thought that she would understand even if he did.

"So I told you about my family, how about yours?" Amy asked him. "Do you have any siblings?"

"As a matter of fact I do. I have an older brother named George and a twin sister named Missy. They live in Texas still. Missy just moved out of my mom's house. My father also died. I was fourteen."

The two talked about their childhood and found that they had a lot in common. They both had skipped grades in school and had graduated early. Sheldon at eleven and Amy at sixteen. Sheldon learned Amy went to Harvard and then moved back to California and finished her graduate and doctorate at UCLA then started working there. He found out she had been to Norway for a semester while at Harvard.

Amy learned that Sheldon started college in Texas and then went to Caltech where he was hired after earning his first doctorate at sixteen. She learned all about his Meemaw and Pop Pop and how they were big parts of his deciding to pursue a degree in science. Amy told him about the first time she read a book about biology and how she had just fallen in love with the subject. The time really got away from them. Before Sheldon knew it, the time was almost nine and he had not started his laundry.

He really had a stimulating conversation with this woman. Amy took note of the time and couldn't believe she had spent over four hours talking to this man. She felt like she could talk to him for four more hours. She already could not wait to see him again.

"I can't believe it is so late." She said to him after they finished their third cup of tea.

"I know. I just found our conversation very stimulating. I would love to get together and talk again if you would be willing." He asked her.

"I would find that acceptable." She said. "Now I really must get going. I have some grocery shopping I need to complete before I head home."

They exchanged numbers and emails and Sheldon told her he would call her in a few days and they could get together again. He walked her down to her car because it was late and he wanted to make sure she made it safely. He stood by the door awkwardly, wanting more than anything to kiss her goodnight. Knowing that if he did that she would not like it and he might scare her away.

"Well goodnight." He said. "I had a nice time, you are a very intelligent woman and I will be in touch in a few days' time." _If I can wait that long_, he thought. Howard told them you had to wait at lest three days before contacting a woman you were interested in again.

"Okay I look forward to it." She said looking up at him, almost expectantly. _Maybe she does want me to kiss her_ he thought but before he made is move, she got in her car and drove away.

Sheldon walked back up to his apartment and went directly to his room to get started on his laundry. He didn't mind that he was forty-five minutes behind schedule. While he was sorting, Leonard came home. He was surprised to see Sheldon just starting his laundry.

"Hey buddy, you are starting late. What happened?" He asked curiously.

"Oh Amy just left a few minutes ago." He answered.

"Really? You mean you didn't kick her out as soon as it hit 8:15? The Sheldon calendar was disrupted for a girl? I thought you were above your baser urges." Leonard joked.

"Amy is most fascinating. We just lost track of time talking." Sheldon said shrugging his shoulders.

"So are you going to see her again?" Leonard asked.

"Well we exchanged information and I told her I would call her in a few days' time so we could maybe get together again and talk." Sheldon answered nonchalantly.

"So do you like her?" Leonard said, god did he like her? There were several times during the evening he had to refrain from blurting out that he loved her.

"Like I just said, she is fascinating. She is very intelligent and we talked about many things. She is not looking for a relationship and I have told you many times neither am I. I believe she could be a very good friend." He said not wanting to admit to Leonard his depth of feeling, not wanting to admit it to himself. This girl had the potential to enslave him to her every whim. He had met the girl of his dreams and she had no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship. Oh irony thou are a heartless bitch he thinks bitterly.

"Well if you say so." Leonard said doubtfully.

"I do. She told me when we met that all forms of physical contact are off the table." Sheldon told him admitting the one flaw in his otherwise perfect woman.

"And you are okay with that?" Leonard asked shocked. He knew if he was told that by a woman he was on a first date with, he would run the other direction.

"Why wouldn't I be? She has goals. She wants to win a Nobel Prize. A relationship can just get in the way. I admire that." He answered truthfully, he himself had said the same thing. Yet that did not change the fact that he was physically attracted to her, and if he was to continue spending time with her it would be difficult to remain a gentleman.

"Well good for you. I know I could not do that." Leonard said admiringly.

"That is because you are a slave to your baser urges. Now if you will excuse me, I am running now an hour late for my laundry and I would like to be able to finish it this evening." Sheldon said effectively stopping the conversation.

As Sheldon was walking down to the laundry room, he ran into Penny coming in from work.

"Hey Sheldon, just starting your laundry?" She asked.

"I would make some sarcastic comment but as I am not very good at it, I will just answer you with yes Penny, I lost track of time this evening and am starting my laundry now an hour and five minutes late."

"What made you lose track of time?" Penny asked curiously. She had lived in this building for three years and Sheldon never strayed from his schedule.

"If you must know, I was having tea with the most riveting woman." He answered. It made no sense to lie to her.

"You were on a date? I thought you were giving up on love." Penny said to him giving him starry eyes that annoy him.

"I am not going to fall in love with Amy Farrah Fowler. Howard and Raj put my information into a dating website and then blackmailed me into meeting her. Those dating websites are complete hokum. There is no scientific way a computer could match me with the perfect woman." He explained to her, his eyes twitching at the lie. The thought of admitting to Penny she was right and he did have the capacity to fall in love was exhausting.

"Well you lost track of time because you were talking to her, so what does that tell you?" She asked him.

"That she is intelligent and we had a lot in common. Nothing more." He answered not wanting to give her the satisfaction.

"Are you going to see her again?" She asked.

"Well we exchanged information so I would say that it is a possibility." He answered, god she was a nosy nelly,he wanted to keep Amy to himself for now

"But you don't like her? Sheldon I have known you for three years and in that 3 years, I have seen you go on dates with three women, two of which you had a second date with. Of those two, Ramona was the only one you asked out a second time and we all know how you felt about her. Now I am watching you once again talking about asking a girl out on a second date, but you want to deny that you like her."

"Penny, I did not say I didn't like her. I found her fascinating. We had a lot in common and we talked for almost five hours. I would like to sit down and talk to her again. But I will make this perfectly clear, I am not looking for a romantic relationship and neither is she. I can see us being very good friends and nothing more." Sheldon said angrily, it was hard enough thinking about how Amy did not want him that way without Penny harping on it. He could only imagine if he admitted the truth what her response would be.

"Alright I get it. Well I am glad you met someone you have so much in common with. I will let you get to your laundry." Penny said. "I have to get ready for a date with Zack."

"Another date with Zack?" Sheldon asked.

"Yes I thought I would give him another chance." She said.

"Penny, I never thought I would say this to you, but you can do so much better." He said.

"Thank you Sheldon, but for now, I just want to have some fun."

"So a 'friends with benefits' deal?" He asked.

"You could say that." Penny said.

"Well if that works for you." Sheldon said. He looked at his watch. He was now almost two hours late on his laundry. He was going to have to just wait until the next day to do it. He turned back and started walking back to his apartment.

"No laundry?" Penny asked.

"If I do it tonight I will get to bed too late. It's just going to be easier to do it in the morning." He answered her.

"Wow, this girl must be something." She said.

"I've already told you…" He started.

"I know you will be good friends." Penny said.

"Exactly. Goodnight Penny." Sheldon said and went back into his apartment.

He got ready for bed., the whole time his mind thinking of Amy, the way she tilted her head when she was thinking. The way she had a way of responding to his questions like no one else every had, she was smart and witty, and beautiful. Howard and his stupid three day rule he thinks as he picks up his phone wishing he could hear her husky voice again. The rile said call though, their was a loophole! It said nothing about texting someone to make sure they arrived to their destination on time. He decided to make sure Amy made it back home safely after leaving so late from his place. He sent her a text.

_Hope you arrived safely at home this evening. -__**Sheldon.**_

A few minutes later he received a text back.

_Yes I just got back after an uneventful trip to the store. They were out of my favorite brand of fabric softener. I will have to do my laundry early in order to accommodate a different brand. -__**Amy**_

_That sounds most inconvenient. I myself did not get my laundry done tonight after running into both my roommate and neighbor.- __**S**_

_That must be frustrating. Well it is my bedtime. It was a pleasure meeting you again and I hope to hear from you soon. –__**A**_

_How does dinner on Tuesday sound? My friends and I always go to The Cheesecake Factory. –__**S**_

_That sounds acceptable. __**–A**_

_We eat at 6:00. __**–S**_

_I will see you then. Goodnight Sheldon._

_Goodnight Amy._

Sheldon smiled as he put his phone on his nightstand, Amy was a truly remarkable woman. It would not be too bad to have her as a friend. She had already proven smarter than most of his idly wondered if maybe he would be able to change her stand on having a relationship. He could make it his life's work, along with winning the Nobel prize of course, to make Amy Farrah Fowler fall in love with him.

**A/N: Sheldon is now on a mission. I promise you guys that his journey will not take 5 years! Geez that would be lots of chapters but there will be some angst, 25 cats anyone, a lover from the past...oh no spoilers just to get you thinking.**

**Reviews help me write this story much faster.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well again I must thank everyone who has followed, favorited and reviewed this story. It warms my heart that so many are happy with the OOC Sheldon. He is a different man than the one we know and love. I am sorry to those who don't buy this portrayal of the story, but I can't please everyone. I am so glad you liked how I got Amy and Sheldon to meet. Now we will go slow through the first couple of dates and then speed the story along so I can get to some good stuff. It will not be all rainbows and butterflies for these two no matter how much we love them. **

**Again I am thanking Boys3allC for all her help in putting this chapter together. She doesn't want the credit but she deserves it. Read her stuff, it's great too!**

**I wish I owned it...**

Amy woke up on Sunday morning and checked her phone just to make sure she had not been dreaming. She smiled as she reread the texts he had sent her. She really had gone out on a date with an intelligent and captivating man who was not intimidated by her intelligence. Then he had invited her out again, he wanted to see her again, and soon.

The few men who did not leave the moment she gave her signature line, left as soon as they found out how smart she was. Most didn't understand half of what she said let alone hold their own with her in conversation. Dr. Sheldon Cooper was different than any other man she had ever met. First, he was extremely intelligent and highly educated, she felt her uterus quivering when he listed off all his degrees. Second, he seemed to know what he wanted out of life. He had goals and he had a life plan. She admired that. And finally third, and most important to her, he seemed okay with no physical contact, being a virgin she wanted to wait until she knew the man was special. He hadn't even tried to kiss her at the end of the night, even if it had looked like he wanted to. Most of the guys she made it through a whole night were expecting at least that at the end of the date. Though she had to admit to herself on her drive home that night she thought about what it would have been like if she had kissed him. Most men didn't believe her when she said coitus was off the table, most of them didn't even know what coitus was. Sheldon was different, he told her he could live with it.

Amy got out of bed and made her way into the living room. She had a few chores to complete. First she had to get her laundry done, which she usually did on Saturday nights. Her night with Sheldon had prevented that from happening and now her plans for the day were off. Amy also hoped that the new fabric softener would work well enough until she could get her regular stuff. She was just starting the sorting process when her phone did not even need to check the caller I.D. to see who it was, her mother . It didn't surprise her; she always called the morning after one of her coerced dates.

"Hello." Amy said answering the phone, pretending she didn't know who was on the other end.

"So how did the date go?" Her mother asked.

"It went fine mother." Amy answered her, being purposely evasive, even if she wanted to shout his name from the rooftops, she did not want to let her mother know about it.

"Well what was he like?" She pried.

"Actually he was very intelligent. We had a wonderful conversation." Amy replied. _Not to mention handsome. _ She thought, but her mother did not need to know about that quite yet.

"So you just talked? Nothing else?" Her mother clarified, hoping that her daughter listened to her advice when she explained that men were only after one thing from a woman.

"Yes mother we just talked, we had a lot in common he is a scientist like I am albeit in a different field. Our conversation was wonderful. He was the first man I have met who could hold his own against me. Now I need to get going, I have laundry to do." Amy realized too late she had let too much slip. Her mother had heard what she said. She had let her date run past her normal laundry time and she was going to have to explain what happened. She hoped she wouldn't have to tell her more than she already had. If things did not work out she would be hearing all about the intelligent scientist and asked what went wrong.

"You always do your laundry on Saturday night. Why are you doing it this morning? Amy what aren't you telling me?" She asked. She was hoping she wasn't lying about just talking with this man. This man sounded to good to be true and it would not be the first time Amy had lied about man.

"Well I didn't get home until after ten last night." Amy answered honestly. There was no sense in lying to her mother about why her laundry wasn't done. "I had to stop at the store and by the time I got home it was too late to complete the laundry. I don't have any plans today so I will finish it today."

"Amy Farrah Fowler, why were you out until after ten last night? Are you sure all you did was talk with this man you met last night?" Her mother was completely serious now worried about her daughters virtue.

"Yes mother!" Amy says exasperated "First we met at the coffee shop, but neither of us like coffee and we still wanted to talk so he invited me to his apartment…" But she didn't get the rest of her sentence out before her mother interrupted her.

"You went to his apartment?! Have I not taught you anything? What did I tell you about going to a strange man's home on a first date? They only want one thing!" She screamed into the phone.

"Mom! Listen to me. Nothing happened between Sheldon and me." Amy said. "We just talked. Time got away from us. It was one of the best conversations I have had in a long time."

"Oh so he has a name? Tell me Amy, after you talked to him, did he invite you out again?" She asked.

"Yes, he has a name, Dr. Sheldon Cooper and actually yes before I left, he asked me for my number and email address so we could get together again." Amy answered.

"And do you think this Dr. Sheldon Cooper will call you? Most men aren't interested in _just_ talking to a woman." Her mother stated.

"Actually mom we are going out again on Tuesday. He sent me a text shortly after I arrived home." Amy said pointedly.

"He actually invited you out again before the night was out?" Her mother asked shocked. She was trying not to get her hopes up that this man might be the answer to her prayers.

"Yes and I agreed to see him again." Amy said.

"Well I am impressed. Hopefully you won't scare this one off." Her mother said to her, sighing. Her daughter did not have the best record when it came to dating men. She could not remember any one lasting past one date, and she could not fathom the reason. In her book Amy was a catch.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Amy said sarcastically.

"Well your track record speaks for itself." Her mother said.

"I don't understand why this is so important to you. I have told you in the past, all I want to do is concentrate on my work. I have no interest in dating." Amy said to her.

"I want grandchildren." She said simply. The truth was she wanted so much more than that. She wanted Amy to have love and happiness, it was not natural for a woman in her late twenties to sit around reading and quilting like a grandma.

"Well you may be waiting a long time for that. I have no interest in procreating whatsoever."

"Amy, come on. You are almost thirty years old. I just want you to be happy. Why not go out with this guy and see where it goes." She said.

"Well I am going to see him again, but I think we will be very good friends, nothing more." Hating the way her mother was pressuring her, the truth was is that she would love for things to work out with Sheldon but as her mother said her track record spoke for itself.

"Don't say that. You never know, love finds you when you least expect it." It was a phrase her mother spouted off often, like after every failed date and it made her roll her eyes.

"I don't think I am going to fall in love with Sheldon Cooper mom." Amy said trying unsuccessfully to deflate the cloud her mother was riding on.

"When are you seeing him again?"

"Tuesday, we are going to the Cheesecake Factory. I think his friends will be there as well."

"Okay well then I will talk to you Wednesday." She said and then she hung up.

Amy rolled her eyes as she hung up her phone. Her mother was always meddling why couldn't she understand Amy's way of thinking. Before Sheldon all Amy wanted was to work on her research, she had no time for a relationship. Amy only went out once a year so she could use her mother's George Forman grill. Now she had this burgeoning relationship on the horizon and her mother was practically picking out China patterns. Amy had no idea what she wanted out of this relationship with Sheldon, it was all too new for her even to think about. Amy was however beginning to think she should buy her own grill. After all, her mother lived in Santa Barbara, not an easy commute from Glendale.

Across town, Sheldon was able to get his laundry done on Sunday morning without running into any of his nosy neighbors. He didn't relish talking to Penny again after the night before. If she found out that he had sent a text to Amy, he would never live it down.

Leonard could see something different about Sheldon since the night before. He wanted so badly ask him what was going on, but he knew how closed of his friend could be. Howard and Raj had said last night at dinner they couldn't believe how much Amy was like Sheldon:

"Dude, it was weird, it was like he was standing in front of a mirror and that was what he would look like if he was a girl." Raj had told him.

"No, she was like a foot shorter than him.. but I do agree they were a lot alike. The way they talked and their mannerisms it was like they were trying to mime each other." Howard commented.

"The way Sheldon looked when she told him all forms of physical contact up to and included coitus where off the table was priceless." Raj says laughing.

"What did he do?" Leonard asks curiously.

"He just stood there and blinked like three times, looking all like 'does not compute' then he just said calm as can be 'I can live with that' I would have been out of there." Howard told him.

"Maybe that was her point, you know to test if he was some sex crazed weird-o like you Howard." Leonard told him laughing.

"No dude,you had to be there this chick was serious, she stared him down, daring him to say anything." Raj said

"I don't know, he dated Ramona for a while and they never had sex. Plus he is always going on about how he is not a slave to baser urges despite what his sock drawer says."Leonard said.

"That's just it he and Ramona only dated a month and he had blue balls so bad he could not walk straight. I just don't think that this relationship is going to work out if she does not give up the goods." Howard said.

"Howard, people can be in loving fulfilling relationships with out sex, they are both super genius's maybe they could have a relationship of the mind." Raj told him.

"Would you want a 'relationship of the mind'" Howard asked him.

"Hell no, but I am not a super genius." He scoffed.

That night the entire gang got together for dinner. Sheldon had let the group know that Amy would be joining them for dinner on Tuesday at the Cheesecake Factory.

"Wow a second date?" Howard said. "So did she really mean that line about no physical contact?" He asked always looking for a chance to tease him.

Penny spat out her drink. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Oh when Amy met Sheldon she told him that all forms of physical contact up to and including coitus was off the table." Howard laughed.

"I told you last night she wasn't interested in a relationship and neither am I." He lied, his eye was twitching.

"What's wrong with your eye?" Bernadette asked looking at him concerned.

"Oh nothing, there must be something in it." Sheldon lied again, his eye still twitching.

"So you are saying that you are completely okay with a relationship that involves no sex whatsoever?" Howard asked.

"Sex does not rule my life unlike the rest of you." Sheldon answered.

"That is very commendable Sheldon, but just in case you were not okay with it you know there are ways of changing her mind." Penny said coyly.

"I am not going to try and change her mind, but just out of curiosities sake what is a way?" Sheldon said to her.

"Well, always offer to pay for her dinner, even if she refuses, still pay." Penny told him.

"That way she is forced into a another date to pay back the favor." Howard said making Bernadette look at him.

"No! Because that is what polite gentlemen do!" Bernadette said to him.

"Also I am not saying force yourself on her, but it does not hurt to make her want it a little, make her want to come to you." Penny told him.

"Just how would he do that?" Leonard asked curiously.

"Here I will show you, come here and I will be Sheldon and you be Amy okay."

"Why do I have to be Amy?" he asked getting up and standing in front of her.

""Because I know what to do and you don't." she told him placing her hands on his hips. "Okay Sheldon pay attention! Eye contact is key, look into her eyes like you are going to kiss her but don't. Instead when you go to say good bye lean in and whisper 'goodnight' in her ear, then as you pull away just barely graze her cheek with your finger. " she said performing the action on Leonard making him look at her with goo goo eyes. Then she walked away and sat down.

"She is good!" Leonard said walking away briskly and sitting back down.

"I appreciate all your help but, I will be respecting Amy Farrah Fowlers no contact clause." Sheldon tried to sound convincing.

"Well good for you Sheldon. These guys could learn a thing or two from you." Bernadette said to him and he looked at them proudly.

"You here that? You could learn a thing or two."Sheldon said pointedly.

"Yeah, he could teach the class on living with blue balls." Raj whispered into Howard's ear and Howard laughed.

"Yeah he could!" Howard laughed.

Monday went by in a blur for Sheldon as he tried to focus on his work. He tried not to think about the emerald eyed vixen who had been dominating his thoughts. Then Tuesday arrived, and she was really all he could think about. Sheldon was getting nervous about his date. He wasn't sure why, the pressure should be off. Amy wasn't expecting anything, didn't want anything and Sheldon told her he was okay with that. The truth was he thought he could handle that kind of relationship, at first. Then he got to know her. She was brilliant. She spoke so eloquently. He didn't understand what his problem was. He should be able to control himself but when he thought about her he was not sure that he could.

Amy was just as nervous, she was looking forward to seeing Sheldon again but she wasn't sure what to expect. She had told him not to expect any forms of physical contact and he had respected that on Saturday night. Yet she wasn't sure if he would be okay with it if they kept seeing each other. Truth be told, she wasn't sure she would be fine with it either. She found herself on Monday googling his name and looking at the photos of him that showed up. There was University staff shot, and a few taken for Physics journals he had been published in. She felt like a stalker but she could not help herself. This handsome accomplished scientist was interested in her,and could possibly want to date had always listened to her mother who told her that men were only after one thing. So she had come up with that line about it being off the table. She figured if a man was only after that one thing, then they would run at first opportunity.

Run they had, most of them ended the date shortly after, a few had laughed her off and said they were fine but at the end of the date expected a kiss. When she wouldn't even give them that they never called again.

Sheldon was so different, he said he was fine. It was the truth. He didn't try anything at all. He had called her a very intelligent woman, not beautiful like he was trying to get into her pants but intelligent like her mind was what he valued most. When he promised to call her again, he actually had, well not called but texted. She had heard from some of the girls she worked with that men had a three day rule about calling. Sheldon hadn't even waited two hours until he invited her out again. That was probably why she was nervous. She had never felt a connection to someone like she did with him and it was thrilling.

Sheldon arrived home and took a shower. He got dressed in his favorite Flash shirt with a pair of khaki pants. He took extra long" making sure he looked just right.

"Sheldon we are leaving. If you don't get out here right now you will have to take the bus." Leonard yelled from the living room.

"I can't take the bus. I just got a shower." Sheldon said.

"Well then let's get going. What time did you tell Amy we are meeting?" He asked.

"The same time we eat every week, 6:00. I don't think that should surprise you at all." Sheldon said.

"Well it is 5:45, so let's get going. You don't want this girl thinking we are late now do we?" Leonard said sarcastically.

"Well of course not. So let's go." Sheldon said. Leonard just rolled his eyes.

Amy got to the Cheesecake Factory at 5:50. She didn't want Sheldon to think she was the type to be late so she made sure she left extra early. She didn't see him anywhere so she just sat down at the front and waited. A few minutes later she saw the two men that Sheldon had come to the coffee shop walk in. She heard them talking.

"Is Bernadette working tonight?" Raj asked.

"No she has a late class. She may be here by dessert though if they don't mix any diseases together tonight." Howard said.

"Do they do that often?" Raj asked.

"More than you think." Howard said. "Last week she told me how they mixed the common cold with Ebola. I think she was kidding but you never know."

"Really?"

"Like I said, I think she was kidding." He answered.

"So change of subject, do you see Leonard and Sheldon yet?" Raj asked.

"They aren't here yet." Amy came over and said to them.

"Oh hello, Amy right?" Howard said. Raj just waved.

"Yes and you are?" Amy asked.

"I'm Howard and this is Raj." He answered. Raj just waved again. "Raj can't talk to women unless he is drunk."

"Sheldon told me about that. Selective mutism, very interesting, I would love to study your brain." Amy commented. Raj looked a bit uncomfortable.

Just as Howard was about to say something in response the door opened and Leonard and Sheldon walked in the restaurant. Smiling as his eyes connected with hers. There had been part of him that was secretly worried that she might stand him up. Yet she was here looking as lovely as he remembered her being.

"Hello." Sheldon said to everyone in greeted. "I see you guys have met." He said to Amy and the guys.

"Yes we were just discussing Raj's selective mutism." Amy commented. "I was telling him I would love to study his brain."

"Oh that would be very interesting." Sheldon commented. "Have you ever gotten a brain scan, Rajesh?" He asked.

Raj just shook his head. He desperately wanted a drink so he could tell them exactly what to do with their ideas about examining his brain.

"I myself love getting my brain scanned. Leonard's mother scanned mine the last time she visited. "

"I would love to see your brain scan sometime. I bet it is most remarkable" Amy told him shyly.

"I would love for you to see it,even if the frontal lobe is a bit small,perhaps the next time we are at my place I will take you to my bedroom and show it too you." He told her

"I would like that very much." Amy said turning to walk in the restaurant. Sheldon followed her and Leonard nudged him.

"I see what you did there you dog!" He whispered.

"How does my desire to show Amy my brain scan make me a dog?"

The group was shown to their regular table.

"Is Penny working tonight?" Howard asked Leonard.

"I think she has a bartending shift. I don't think she is waitressing." Leonard answered.

They found out a few minutes later when their waitress came over. It wasn't Penny. Everyone ordered their usual drinks. Amy ordered lemonade just like Sheldon. She started looking over the menu. She had never eaten at this restaurant and she wasn't sure of the protocol. She had never gone out with a guy for a second time and usually when she went out on a first date she would meet at a coffee shop to make ordering easier. Her mother always told her to order salads or something light so as to not come off as piggish when she was with a guy. She was struggling in her decision.

"They have good burgers here." Sheldon leaned over to tell her. He could see that she was struggling with the menu.

"Oh okay. What kind do you recommend?" She asked.

"I usually have the bacon barbecue cheeseburger. I get my ingredients on the side but you could get it anyway you like. Do you like mozzarella sticks? They have really good ones here. We could split them." Sheldon asked her.

"Actually I do." She was so pleased he didn't care what she ordered.

The waitress came over and Sheldon ordered the mozzarella sticks and his usual burger. The waitress just rolled her eyes as he explained he wanted the bacon, barbecue sauce and cheese on the side. Everyone in the restaurant knew how he wanted his burger. Amy ordered the same thing but was okay with everything being on the burger.

"Good choice." He whispered smiling at her. She smiled back.

When the mozzarella sticks arrived the two of them shared them. The guys were impressed. They knew Sheldon was okay with food sharing but they usually didn't see him do it.

Sheldon was grateful that Amy didn't double dip in the sauce. He remembered Lalita doing that and it still grossed him out. Amy actually put the sauce on her plate so if she wanted to dip again it wasn't being shared. He appreciated that.

The guys got to know Amy a bit more and they couldn't believe how she was so much like Sheldon. They found her to be a bit condescending but not so much so that they didn't like her. She was just like Sheldon. They could tell he really liked her. They didn't want to ruin his chances so they decided to just deal with her comments.

At the end of dinner when the check was brought, Sheldon remembered what Penny told him about always paying. He saw her pulling her wallet out to pay her share and he stopped her.

"Amy this is my treat. I invited you to dinner." He said to her.

"Oh no, I can't let you do that." She protested.

"I insist." He said pulling his wallet out. The guys watched this exchange in awe. They had never seen Sheldon so insistent about something but they knew why he was doing it and they exchanged there is some desire to change her mind they think smugly

"Fine, thank you." She said. "But next time it is my treat."

"Agreed." He smiled at her, what were the chances that Penny's plan was working and Howard was right, all in the same day, she was already planning on seeing him again.

Howard and Raj left the restaurant and told the other two they would see them at work. Bernadette's class had run late but now she was heading home and Howard was meeting her there. Leonard told Sheldon he would meet him at the car.

Sheldon walked Amy to her car again that night. Amy was not sure what Sheldon was expecting but he was a perfect gentleman. He didn't try to hold her hand or anything. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed or not. When they arrived at her car she thanked him for dinner again.

"So when can I see you again?" He asked her looking directly into her eyes. The piercingly blue made her feel weak in the knees.

"Um…" She knew she wanted to see again and if she could it would be the very next day but she was unsure how to proceed.

"Oh is it too soon?" Perhaps he was pushing too hard. "I was thinking maybe we could go out just the two of us next time. Do you like the zoo? I love going to the zoo and my friends never want to go with me. You seem like someone who would love…." But he was cut off saving him from his nervous ramblings.

"I love the zoo. I go all the time. I have an annual pass. I would love to go with you. How about on Saturday and then I will take you out for dinner?" She asked. She had never been so forward with a man before. She just made plans for a third date in a week. Sheldon was so different than any other guy she had ever met. She could see herself having a great friendship with him and maybe more.

"Saturday sounds great. Listen, can you pick me up? I would come get you but…"

"Yes I know you don't drive. Why is that?" She asked cocking her head to the side. She looks so adorable when she does that it makes his heart flutter.

"I just never learned how." He lied. His eye started to twitch.

"Your eye is twitching. What aren't you telling me?" She asked.

"Oh well, I kind of lied. I tried learning but I never got the hang of it. You could tell I was lying?" He was impressed. This woman was bound to unravel all his mysteries.

"Remember I study the brain. You have a tell. Your eye got more ticks than a Lyme-disease research facility." She said to him biting her lower lip to stifle a giggle and he wanted nothing more than to catch her lip with his teeth.

"That's funny. I will have to remember it. Well I guess I can't lie to you then. The truth is I am afraid to drive. When I tried practicing on a computer program I drove into the Glendale Galleria's pet store. When I drove a real car, I ended up going to jail." He said.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"I ran a red light and got caught by a traffic cam. I refused to pay the fine and called the judge some names. I got thrown in jail. I apologized as soon as I found out I had to pee in a can in the jail cell." He admitted.

"Hoo…So you've been to jail?" She asked. She always wanted to date a bad boy. Rock star scientist and bad boy, Dr. Cooper just kept getting better and better.

"Sort of. Like I said, I didn't spend more than a few hours there." Sheldon said. He wasn't sure why this was so intriguing to her but she was interested.

"Well in that case, I will pick you up on Saturday morning, let's say 10:00? Maybe I can teach you to drive someday." She said. She already had plans in her head to see him after Saturday.

"Okay thanks." He smiled, looking into her eyes fighting the urge to kiss her with all his might. Then he remembered Penny's lesson. He leaned in and whispered in her ear "Goodnight. Drive safe. Could you text me when you get home so I know you arrived safely." He pulled away lightly trailing his finger down her face.

"Of course. Thank you so much for dinner. I will see you on Saturday." She stammered her heart beating wildly in her chest. At first she was so afraid that he was going to kiss her and now she was so disappointed that he had not.

_What is going on?_ She thought. Suddenly she felt bold. She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around him. Thinking at first she could kiss him but then she chickened out at the last second and ended up giving him a hug instead. He reciprocated and wrapped his arms around her tightly splaying his large hands across her back. They stood like that for a minute before she broke away.

"Goodnight Dr, Cooper." She said getting into her car .

"Goodnight Dr, Fowler." He said as she drives away

Amy got in her car and smiled so widely she thought her face might break. When he leaned in close she had thought he was going to kiss her and she wasn't going to stop him. She still felt tingly where his warm breath had caressed her skin as he whispered in her ear. He wanted her to call him as soon she got home. He was already so protective of her and she liked it. Then she gave him a hug instead and she was okay with that. She felt so naughty. She wondered what her mother would say about her hugging men in parking lots. Maybe she was going to be fine with him initiating physical contact after all, but she had no idea how experienced he was.

Sheldon practically danced back to the car where Leonard waited for him. He was curious how things had gone. He had never seen his friend so smitten with a girl before and so quickly. It was clear to him that this girl might be the one.

"So did you kiss her?" He asked as Sheldon approached the car.

"No better, she hugged me." He says wiggling his eyebrows.

"You dog! Look who is getting no physical contact now! Are you going to see her again?" Leonard asked.

"Yes as a matter of fact we are going to the zoo on Saturday." Sheldon replied.

"So you finally found someone you could go to the zoo with? That's great. You have been wanting us to go with you all the time." He commented.

"I know." And he smiled at him.

"You really like this girl don't you?" Leonard asked.

"I do." He said and he smiled. The truth was he could see this relationship lasting a long time but he wasn't sure how to handle his feelings or how to make Amy see it was a good idea. This was going to be harder than he thought this girl already had his heart in his hands and he had never had his heart broken before.

**Okay so there you have it...date number two down and maybe a few more coming. I will move these kids along, I promise but what's life without Penny meeting Amy and learning all about the 31 men Penny has been with as well as the 3 girls Sheldon has slept with. And maybe just a bit of angst about their respective jobs. But never fear these two will be together I promise. But how can we move them forward without just a little craziness.**

**Quick poll: Priya or no Priya? I have one vote sort of for her introduction...let me know by PM or in the review.**

**thanks again. Chapter 8 is in the works.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Wow is all I can say, you guys are amazing. So much love for this story. I think I thanked everyone personally except for those I can't PM, know you are loved. Anyway, the votes were more for Priya than against so I may have to figure a way for her to show up. I promise she won't mess with Shamy, she will purely be there to move Penny into wanting Leonard, and Amy may have a hand in that as well. So anyway, I know many of you are thinking this will be a trip to the zoo for Shamy but I had better ideas for them first. Hope you enjoy.**

**Thanks to Boys3allC for adding some extra thoughts to this and correcting my mistakes. **

**I wish I owned it but sadly I don't:**

Sheldon got a text from Amy about twenty minutes after they parted. He smiled when he saw it come through. Leonard noticed the goofy grin in his face and wondered what was going on, even though he thought he knew the answer.

"Who is that?" Leonard asked.

"Amy. I asked her to text me when she arrived home." Sheldon answered him.

"Oh are we worried that she won't get home?" He smiled as he winked at him.

"Um, well, uh yes of course. I want to make sure she got there safely." Sheldon blusters.

"Of course you do. So what made you ask her to the zoo?" Leonard asked.

"Well she is a biologist. Most biologists like animals, even if she just works on the brains. You heard what she said to Koothrapali at dinner. She would love to get into his brain to see how it works. I just figured she may be a zoo person."

"What if she had said no?" Leonard asked. "Would you have asked her out again?"

"Yes. I would have invited her to the Science Museum." Sheldon replied thinking what a stupid question that was. His desire to see her again was so strong he would have gone down the list of plausible activities including the craft museum on Wilshire.

"Well good for you. I think she is perfect for you. You picked a good one to be your girlfriend this time."

"Leonard, she is not my girlfriend. She is a girl who is my friend. She doesn't want a boyfriend."

"But you want a girlfriend. And don't try to deny it. I can see it every time you mention her name. You like her, just admit it."

"I don't want a girlfriend." Sheldon lied.

"You are twitching you know." Leonard observed. He always knew when Sheldon lied but he never mentioned it until now.

"What do you mean?" Sheldon tried unsuccessfully to hide his twitch.

"Sheldon when you lie you twitch. It is quite funny actually." Leonard said.

"Amy said I have more ticks than a Lyme-disease research facility." Sheldon commented.

"You lied to Amy?" Leonard was shocked.

"Not really a lie per se."

"What the hell does that mean?" Leonard was confused.

"I kind of told her a little white lie about why I didn't drive. But she saw right through me. I ended up telling her the truth. She actually offered to maybe teach me." Sheldon confessed.

"She offered to teach you to drive?" Leonard was shocked.

"Yes actually she did." Sheldon said smiling.

"It sounds like she is in this for a while." Leonard already liked this girl.

"Well of course she is. We are going to be very good friends."

"Keep telling yourself that." Leonard said more to himself than to Sheldon.

The duo made it home and began their nightly rituals at bedtime. Just before they were ready to call it a night, Penny came barging into the apartment.

"Hello Penny, come in." Sheldon said sarcastically making a sweeping gesture with his hands and rolling his eyes.

"Hey Moonpie." She said raising her eyebrows and he snapped his head up to glare at her.

"Penny how many times do I have to tell you that the only person who can call me that is Meemaw?" Sheldon said.

"Whatever, now how come you didn't bring your girlfriend over to meet me tonight?" She said angrily.

"She's not my girlfriend." Sheldon said.

"Well regardless," she said flopping her hand at him dismissing his obvious denial "Why didn't I meet her?" She asked.

"Why would I bring her over to meet you? You could have easily come over and greeted us. I saw you, you weren't that busy this evening and there were two of you at the bar." He answered.

"I can't leave my bar when I am working." She said.

"That has never stopped you before." Sheldon pointed out and Penny sighed.

"Well I've been told I can't do that." She said.

"Oh well, I didn't bring her over because I didn't want to do so." Sheldon told her.

"Why not?" She asked.

_Why not?_ He thought. _Because you would subject her to the third degree. You would ask her uncomfortable personal details about herself and spill ones about me that are better left unsaid._

Instead of unleashing a diatribe on her he simply answered, "Penny, Amy is a very intelligent woman. What could she possibly have in common with you?" He asked her accentuating the you insultingly.

"Are you saying I'm stupid?" She was speaking in her scary Nebraska voice.

"Now I never said that, it's just I'm not sure if you would get along with Amy. She isn't really the type of person you normally hang out with." He stuttered backing off quickly, it was not wise to cross Penny when she got like this.

"Oh well, I hang out with Bernadette and she is pretty smart." She pointed out.

"Perhaps you are right. I really wanted Amy to meet Bernadette tonight but she couldn't make dinner." He said.

"So are you seeing her again? Bernadette and I were planning a girl's night on Saturday. Maybe we can invite her so we could get to know her. I mean if you keep dating her, she will become part of our social group eventually, right?" Penny really wanted to see this girl that Sheldon was getting so worked up about.

"Um, I'm not sure about that." Sheldon said, afraid Penny may corrupt her. He liked Amy just the way she was. He could not fathom an intelligent woman like her at Penny's chattering about boys and shoes.

"Well how about this, instead of having your vintage game night on Friday, we have a regular game night and she can get to know us." Penny suggested.

"I'm not sure I should ask her to come over that soon. We are going out again on Saturday." Sheldon answered, completely unsure of the protocols, how much was showing interest in a woman and how much was cloying over eagerness. The last thing he wanted was for Amy to think he was smothering her.

"So the worst she can say is no, right? Just ask her." Penny said and he relented. Penny was a woman and if she thought it was alright then it must be.

"Okay I will text her in the morning and let you know." Sheldon said. "Now if you will excuse me, I am going to bed." He said and showed her the door.

"Goodnight Sheldon." Penny said and left.

Amy went to bed that night in a very good mood, so happy she had met Sheldon. He was so different from other guys, almost too wonderful to be real, like a prince from a fairy could not believe he had invited her out again, this time to one of her favorite places, the zoo. Amy couldn't believe he enjoyed going there, it was almost like he knew how much she loved it.. She assumed, with his physics background, that he would have chosen a place like the Science Museum. Truth be told, she would have gone there with him as well. She would probably go anywhere he asked her to go. She was finding it hard to not think about Sheldon. He was everything she ever thought she would want in a boyfriend. He was intelligent, handsome and he didn't let sex rule his life.

The hug had been incredible. Her insides were melting thinking about his large strong hands on her back. How wonderful it felt just to be held by him. That moment could have lasted forever. Amy thought he was going to kiss her for a moment. She had thought about kissing him. Amy wondered what it would be like to kiss a guy, she had never thought much about it before. Now she could not stop imagining it, picturing Sheldon leaning in and his lips, instead of grazing her ear softly touching her mouth. How would it have felt if he had kissed her while they embraced? His long lean body pressed against hers as their mouths explored each other's .Her mind was reeling. She had no idea where these ideas were coming from. She never considered kissing a man before and now she was after just two dates. This just was not like her, she had to get it together. She could not let this handsome man convince her to do something she wasn't ready for. She told him that she only wanted to be his friend and he had agreed to that. She was happy about that, wasn't she?

The next morning, she got up and ready for work. She had three days to prepare for her date on Saturday. As she drives to work she remembered that she had promised Sheldon she would take him to dinner after the zoo. She wanted to take him to her favorite places little Indian place that was very cozy. She ate there so often the waiter did not even bother asking her order he just brought her her food. She didn't know if he had ever been there before. She would have to ask him. As she exits her car and begins walking into to work she pulls out her phone .She was about to send a text to him when she received one from him.

_Good morning, hope you had a pleasant night's rest. __**–S**_

She was surprised. She hadn't expected to hear from him so early in the morning. It makes her want to do a little happy dance. And she might have had she not been walking through a throng of students in the quad and she immediately sent him one back.

_I_ _did thank you. I trust you did as well. –__**A**_

Amy wanted to add something a little flirtatious but she was out of her element there. So she was elated when got an almost immediate response.

_Yes thank you. Do you have any plans for Friday night? __**–S**_

Was he asking her out a day early? oh please let it be so she thinks as she enters her lab and sits at her desk.

_No I have nothing planned, why? __**–A**_

Thinking that she never had plans on a Friday night. Her existence was pretty boring. Her only plans had been to practice her harp a little.

_My neighbor wants to have a game night and told me to invite you. __**–S**_

_Will I be the only female there again? __**–A**_ She felt a bit out of place the night before. Happy to be having dinner with him, but wishing they could have been alone.

_No Howard's girlfriend, Bernadette will be there and my neighbor is female as well. __**–S**_

Now Amy was confused. Why would Sheldon's female neighbor want to meet her? Why would a neighbor care about meeting someone's new friend.

_Why does she want to meet me? –__**A**_

_ She was upset she couldn't join us last night. So what do you say? __**–S**_

That only confused her more. Why would his female neighbor join them for dinner last night? She thought about it for a second and decided not to let her confusion win over seeing him again.

_What time? __**–A**_

_Dinner is at 6:00. Do you __**like**__ Chinese? __**–S**_

_Love it. __**–A**_

_What can I order you? __**–S**_

_Tangerine chicken is my favorite. __**–A**_

_Mine too. See you Friday. Have a good day at work Dr. Fowler. __**–S**_

_You too, Dr. Cooper __**–S**_

Amy put her phone away. Getting on her lab coat, she was smiling when her assistant came in her lab.

"Good morning Dr. Fowler." She said to her.

"Good morning, Hannah." Amy said sing-song to her bubbly grad student assistant.

"You seem to be in a good mood. Did you have a nice night?" Hannah asked. She had never seen her in this kind of a mood, usually Dr. Fowler was so serious. The last time she had even cracked a smile was when she discovered a tumor in the brain she was dissecting.

"I am Hannah, I am." Amy answered her not trying to hide her spirits.

"What did you do?" She asked extremely curious as to what could make her dour boss so giddy.

"Oh I went out to dinner with a new friend." Amy answered her, happy to at least have something to talk with Hannah about. Hannah was always going on about dates she went on and places she went, while Amy listened wishing she had something to contribute.

"A _male_ friend?" Hannah clarified, never having heard her talk about having a boyfriend before.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Amy smiled.

"He must be something." Hannah said to her dying to see this guy who had made her usually severe boss so happy. Dr. Fowler was practically glowing. Hannah pictured your typical professor type, average height thinning hair dressed in tweeds.

"It's not what you think. We are just friends." Amy explained.

"Is he gay?" Hannah asked, wondering how a man could make her boss so chipper and just be her friend.

"I don't think so but I'm not interested in a relationship and he seemed to be okay with that." Amy told her.

_No, definitely not gay, s_he thought, remembering the way his blue eyes looked into hers and the way his breath felt caressing her neck as he whispered in her ear. Amy knew she was beaming again and she looked embarrassed at her assistant who was studying her face. Her soft caring brown eyes searching Amy's for the truth.

"Are you sure? You look like a woman in love." Hannah pointed out.

"I am not in love. Love is an unnecessary cultural construct that adds no value to human relationship." Amy said walking away and sitting down at her microscope.

"You have got to be kidding me." Hannah gasped. "Love is a wonderful feeling. Knowing someone cares about you that much is just a fantastic thing. How can you say it doesn't add value to a human relationship?" Hannah asked grabbing a box of slides and setting them next to her.

"It just seems so unnecessary." Amy told her not looking up from her microscope.

"That's because you have never been in love. Dr. Fowler, I want to ask you a question and I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but have you ever had a boyfriend before?" Hannah asked seriously. She had never been so frank with her boss before. Usually Dr. Fowler was so quiet and closed off, so while she had her talking, she would take advantage of it.

"Um well, I went out with a guy in college twice." Amy answered honestly.

"So you've only had a second date once in your life?" Hannah asked shocked. She knew her boss was a bit introverted but she never realized the extent of it. Having only been on one second date in her entire life made her sad. Hannah hoped things worked out for . She was so nice. She deserved love.

"Well now twice since I went out last night. It was our second date as well." Amy answered.

"Are you seeing him again?" Hannah wanted to know.

"Actually he just sent me a text asking me over to his place for Chinese food and game night on Friday." Amy smiled.

"Oh you are so smitten." Hannah said gleefully. "So what is his name?" Hannah asked, sitting down and opening up her laptop.

"His name is Dr. Sheldon Cooper." Amy answered getting up from her microscope and grabbing a chart off the table and studying it.

"A medical doctor or a doctor like you?" Hannah asked sneakily. She opened up google in the browser and typed in Dr Sheldon Cooper.

"Like me, he is a theoretical physicist over at Caltech." Amy said and Hannah added Caltech to the end of his name and hit search.

"Oh I know some people over there. I wonder if they know him." Hannah mused as she browsed articles about him. He was indeed a very accomplished physicist.

"He is pretty bright. Do you remember about a year ago when there was all that talk about String theory being confirmed?" Amy asked.

_Bright and not half bad looking._ Hannah thought as she clicked on an article with a photo. Not her cup of tea but there was something magnetic about him. Definitely not the frumpy professor she had pictured.

"Vaguely why?" Hannah asked innocently not wanting to let on she was reading the article about it right now..

"That was Sheldon and his friends, except his friends had apparently tampered with the results."

"That was him?" Hannah was surprised this guy was so well known and not taken. It appeared as if Dr. Fowler had landed herself quite the catch.

_You go Dr. Fowler. _ Hannah thought impressed.

"Yes that was him. He has very lofty goals, he wants to win a Nobel. I suspect that he will achieve them too." Amy said dreamily.

"Just like you. You guys are perfect for each other and I haven't even met him. You guys could be like Marie and Pierre Curie, a true science power couple." Hannah was excited for her boss.

"We've only been out twice and you have us being a power couple. I'm not even interested in any of that." Amy tried protesting but Hannah saw right through it.

"Keep telling yourself that Dr. Fowler." Hannah said. They spent the rest of the day finishing up the study they were working on. Amy knew if they finished it off by the end of the month she would be put on the addiction study. She really wanted that study. So they were working extra hard to finish it.

Before Amy knew it Friday had finally arrived. Amy wasn't sure if she was nervous or not, part of her thrilled at seeing him again. The other part worried that what she could offer him would not be enough. She wasn't sure what Sheldon was expecting from her, he had said he was okay without the physical contact but then almost kissed her. Sheldon hadn't pushed back when she hugged him, actually he hugged her back and it was she was seriously considering letting him kiss her. She was delighting in imagining the way his lips would feel against her own.

When she had spoken to her mother on the phone Wednesday morning, she was thrilled that Amy was seeing the man again. She tried to tell Amy it was okay if the man wanted to kiss her on the cheek or even hug her, that it would be proper. However she was adamant that it not go past that. Amy was worried. She had heard colleagues talking about how after three dates the man always expected sex. _Sheldon wouldn't be like that would he?_ She thought to herself. She almost called and cancelled twice but decided against it.

She left work early so she could go home and change from work. She took a quick shower and then put on her favorite cardigan. She checked the time. It was still early but she didn't want to sit around in her apartment and wait so she just decided to leave. She arrived at the apartment at 5:45. She hoped the guys were home. She sent a quick text to Sheldon saying she was already there.

_Hey are you guys home, I am here. I know I'm a bit early.__**-A**_

_Yes come on up. Leonard is getting the food. __**–S.**_

Amy walked up the four flights of stairs to apartment 4A. She knocked on the door and expected Sheldon to answer the door since he said Leonard was out getting the food. Instead she was met with a scantily clad beautiful blond woman.

"Hello." Penny said in greeting.

"Hello, is Sheldon here?" Amy was confused. She was sure she had the right apartment,

"Oh yeah, he's in his room changing. You must be Amy. I'm Penny, Sheldon and Leonard's neighbor. I live across the hall." Amy was instantly relieved.

"Oh yes of course. You are the one who wanted me to come over tonight." Amy said. "It's nice to meet you." She said sticking out her hand which Penny took.

"It's nice to meet you also. Come on in. Leonard left a little bit ago to go pick up the food."

Amy walked in the living room. She sat down on the couch in the middle, the same seat she had sat on Saturday night.

"Oh good, you know about Sheldon's spot." Penny said as she sat down in an arm chair and tucked her legs underneath her.

"No, what do you mean?" Amy asked curiously.

"Oh I just assumed since you sat in the middle. Sheldon likes the spot here on the left side of the couch. He calls it his spot. No one is allowed to sit there but him. Ask him about it some time he will give you a whole explanation" Penny said puffing out her cheeks.

"I didn't know. I just sat here the other night." Amy said to her thinking that it sounded sensible to have a favorite spot. Humans were by nature territorial creatures, males even more so.

"So Sheldon tried to explain what you do for a living, you're a neuro- something or other."

"She's a neurobiologist." Sheldon said coming from down the hall. "And I will thank you for not giving my guest the third degree."

"Oh come on Sheldon, I was just trying to get to know your girl…" But Sheldon gave her a look. "Your friend." She corrected.

"It's okay, Sheldon. She wasn't being too forward." Amy said ignoring the slip from Penny, although thrilled that his friends might be referring to her as his girlfriend.

"Well as long as she isn't attacking you." Sheldon smiled.

"She's not. She was just getting to know me. So Penny what do you do for a living?" Amy asked her.

"I work at the Cheesecake Factory." Penny answered. "I am surprised Sheldon didn't tell you."

"Why would I tell her that?" Sheldon asked.

"I don't know, because I am your friend, and you knew she was meeting me and you might give her a little background information first." Penny answered.

"So are you dating one of the guys? I know Howard has a girlfriend named Bernadette, so are you dating Leonard or Raj?" Amy asked.

"Raj no. He can't even speak to me unless he is drunk. And well Leonard…" But Sheldon cut her off.

"Penny and Leonard tried dating last year. It did not end well." Sheldon added wanting to spare Amy from the gritty details of his friends love lives.

"Thank you Sheldon." Penny said relieved she was spared from any awkward conversations.

"You're welcome, Penny."

"So Amy do you do date much?" Penny asked changing the subject from her and Leonard.

"I have an agreement with my mother to go out once a year. She keeps silent on the matter and I get use of her George Forman grill. However, I recently decided to go out and buy my own grill." Amy said and Sheldon smiled. Sheldon was thinking if she bought her own grill then that could mean she thinks she is about to be relived of her annual dating engagement.

"Oh well that is nice." Penny said. She had no idea how to talk to this woman.

"So do you go on many dates Penny?" Amy asked her.

Penny was a bit uncomfortable but answered the question anyway. It was only fair. "Uh, yeah, I wouldn't say many. A few." _Sheldon laughed__ his breathy laugh._

_" _What's so funny?" She asked him.

"Your characterization of approximately 171 different men as a few." He replied.

Penny was mortified. She was trying to figure out where Sheldon came up with that number "What? Where did you get 171 men?" She asked him

"Simple extrapolation. In the three years that I've known you, you were single for two. During that time, I saw 17 different suitors. If we work backwards, correcting for observation bias and postulate an initial dating age of 15…"

Penny interrupted him. "Whoa, wait, wait, wait. I did not start dating at 15."

"I'm sorry. 16?" He had assumed 15 but never thought to ask.

"14." She said embarrassingly.

It didn't surprise Sheldon that she had started dating that young. His sister started at around 14 as well. "My mistake." He said. Then he continued explaining how he got the number, which was now higher due to her earlier dating age. "Now, assuming the left side of a bell curve peaking around the present that would bring the total up to 193 men, plus or minus eight men."

Amy was impressed. She knew there were girls like this that she went to high school with and they were extremely popular. She wanted to find out if Penny had sex with all of the guys she dated. "Remarkable. Did you have sexual intercourse with all of these men?" She asked her.

_What?! _ Penny thought. _ This woman is crazy. _ "No." She answered. She had slept with some but not 193 and she hadn't even dated 193 men.

"Although that number would be fairly easy to calculate." Sheldon said. He was having fun at Penny's expense and Amy was involved.

"Oh." Penny groaned.

Sheldon continued. "Based on the number of awkward encounters I've had with strange men leaving her apartment in the morning, plus the number of times she's returned home wearing the same clothes she wore the night before…"

Penny had enough. She was not going to let Sheldon spoil her fun this evening. "Okay, Sheldon, I think you've made your point." She tried to stop him from talking.

Sheldon was not swayed. "So we multiply 193, minus 21 men before the loss of virginity, so 172 times 0.18 gives us 30.96 sexual partners. Let's round that up to 31." He finished.

Penny was not pleased. "Okay, Sheldon, you are so wrong. That is not even close to the real number. I think I need a drink." She said getting up from the chair and heading to the door.

"This is very interesting. Cultural perceptions are subjective. Penny, to your mind, are you a slut?" Amy asked.

Penny was at the door and turned around to look at Amy. Was this woman serious? "No! No! No. I'll be right back." She said and left the apartment. She needed to get a bottle of wine. 31 sexual partners, that was crazy. Penny knew she had slept with a lot of guys but nowhere near 31. She started thinking about it as she poured her glass of wine. She made her way back over to the guy's apartment and was about to let herself in. She hadn't been gone long and heard they were still talking about it. She decided to stay in the hall and listen. She was curious if Sheldon would tell Amy about his sexual encounters.

"This is an interesting topic." He said to Amy. "How many sexual encounters have you had?"

Amy was taken back. She didn't think Sheldon let sex rule his life. Well he asked but did he mean had she slept with anyone or just had an orgasm. She decided to ask him. "Does volunteering for a scientific experiment in which orgasm was achieved by electronically stimulating the pleasure centers of the brain count?"

"I should think so." Sheldon said intrigued by her question.

"Then 128." She answered. Penny popped her hand to her mouth in shock forgetting she was holding her wine glass, which she dropped in the hallway breaking it in two. 128 and she had the nerve to ask her if she was a slut.

Sheldon heard it drop and excused himself to go open the door. He walked over to the door and opened it, seeing Penny standing in the door frame clutching a bottle of wine and a broken glass at her feet.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Of course I just dropped my glass. I will have to go back and get a new one." Penny answered. She knew she had been caught but Sheldon just nodded and went back inside.

"So Amy, where were we before our little interruption?" he asked sitting back down knowing what they were talking about, but not knowing how to broach the subject again.

"We were discussing sexual partners." Amy said.

"Ahh, yes so of those 128 encounters how many were with actual sexual partners?" He was a bit terrified to hear her answer. He had only been with three girls. What if she had way more?

"Oh none, I am still a virgin." She answered proudly.

"Really?" Sheldon asked. He was impressed. She really didn't let sex rule her life.

"How many sexual partners have you had?" Amy had to ask now that it was out in the open that she was a virgin. She wanted to know just how experienced he was.

"Oh um, I've been sexually intimate with three women." Sheldon said.

"Okay. Were you in long term relationships with these women?" Amy was not intimidated. It wasn't too many for a male of his age and social standing.

"I am sorry to admit but only one was with a woman I was in a relationship with and I was just fifteen at the time."

"Oh that is interesting. What about the other two?" She was a bit concerned. He had said lack of physical contact was fine but now if he had one night stands what was he expecting of her?

"Well one happened years ago. I thought I could start a relationship with the woman but it turned out she just needed sexual release. It came as a shock to me as well. The other one happened not too long ago, I am afraid to admit. I was talked into going to a university mixer and met a woman. We kind of hit it off and she explained that she was not interested in a relationship. I thought I would be okay with that, as I had just recently learned the term friends with benefits. Now I know it was not for me. I don't want to say I regret it because that is not fair to the woman but in a way I do regret what I did." He answered honestly. He was hoping that being truthful with her would be the right thing.

"Well Sheldon I want you to understand that I am not into that kind of a relationship. Right now I am not sure what I want in this relationship. What I do know is that I feel very connected to you and I find myself wanting to spend time with you." Amy said honestly, a little scared to admit her feelings for him but she had to let him know.

"I feel the same. I never want that kind of relationship again. It was truly not for me. I am ashamed that I let myself be fooled into thinking I could handle it. I am willing to take this relationship as slow as you want. If you don't want to ever engage in physical contact I will be happy to be your friend. If you want more we can work on that together." He knew he wanted more but he didn't want to ruin what he already had with her and he was willing to wait as long as it in his life had he felt so connected to a woman and she had admitted that she felt the same way.

"Thank you Sheldon."

"I really do mean it." Sheldon said his voice deep and husky, his eyes softening as he looked into hers. Her stomach filled with butterflies.

"I believe you."she whispered and she really did believe him. He was so honest about his past and how it affected him that she could see in his eyes he meant what he said. She wanted more, right then she wanted him to kiss her, but she was afraid. She decided to take things slow and let him know what was okay and what was not.

"Good." He said.

Leonard arrived with the food about fifeteen minutes later along with Howard, Bernadette, and Raj. Penny came back shortly after they talked. Sheldon had a feeling she had been listening at the door but chose not to bring it up at the time.

The gang had their dinner and then ended up playing Pictionary. They played guys versus girls and the girls proved to be much better at it than the guys. Sheldon suggested they play Trivial Pursuit but Penny nixed that idea because Sheldon probably knew all the answers, eidetic memory or not. They ended up just sitting around talking after Pictionary.

Amy had a wonderful time getting to know Sheldon's friends. Penny seemed bubbly with a down to earth exterior. She knew her way around things, Amy could tell. Bernadette was intelligent but fierce. She knew what she wanted and didn't let things stop her. Amy could see herself hanging out with the two of these girls and hoped they would invite her along to one of their girl's night's they talked about. She got her wish at the end of the night.

"So Amy what are your plans tomorrow night?" Penny asked her. Penny decided if Sheldon was going to continue to see this woman, she should probably try and get along with her.

"Oh well, Sheldon and I are going to the zoo and then I was going to take him to dinner. Why do you ask?" Amy asked her.

"Well Bernadette and I are having a girl's night and we wanted to know if you would care to join us." She said. "But if you already have plans."

"I could maybe join you after dinner, if that is okay with Sheldon." Amy said. She really wanted to get to know these girls better.

"If you want to participate in a night of drunken debauchery, by all means, go right ahead." Sheldon said. Secretly he was happy the girls wanted to get to know her better.

"Well when you put it that way, I would love to join you." Amy said. "What is the dress code?"

"Oh just wear something comfortable." Penny said to her.

Sheldon walked Amy to her car again that night. When they arrived there, Amy was once again unsure about what to expect. They had an honest conversation about their relationship and now was the time to decide what she wanted. Again he had been a perfect gentleman and hadn't even tried to hold her hand. Even when she had tried to graze hers against his as they walked, she was disappointed but knew he was respecting her wishes.

"So I will pick you up at ten." She said to him. "Thanks for inviting me over tonight. I had a good time. Your friends are fun."

"I am glad you enjoyed yourself." He said. "And I will see you in the morning." He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I look forward to it." He said. She shivered thrilling at the sensation of his lips being so close to her ear .

"Me too." She said shyly. She again stood on her tiptoes and hugged him he wrapped his arms around her and she revealed in all the new sensations. He smelled so good, like soap, and baby powder, and something uniquely masculine. She felt the muscles of his back shift under her hands and she fought the urge run them up and down to map his body.

This was as comfortable as she could get right now. She wanted to try and kiss him but was afraid to do something wrong. She also didn't want him to think she was ready for more. She thought about the conversation with her mother about it being okay to kiss him on the cheek but she was not ready quite yet for that.

Sheldon was happy she was initiating some form of contact. He enjoyed the hug. Sheldon meant what he said to her he would not push her into something she wasn't ready for.

"Don't forget to let me know you made it home safely." He reminded her.

"I won't. Goodnight Sheldon." She said.

"Goodnight Amy."

**I am sure some of you wanted some sort of kiss and it was there as a cheek kiss but she is a bit gun shy because of his past with one night stands. Don't worry it won' t be 3 years before a kiss I do promise you that.**

**Zoo will be next then maybe a trip to Big Sur a little later(Should they share a room? Will they be official or still just friends? Oh the possibilities)**

**Reviews make my day!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Wow guys all I can say is thank you. You guys and your reviews, follows and favorites make my day. I so appreciate the fact that so many of you are okay with the pace these two are going. I want them to progress quicker than in the show but Amy is hesitant because of never having a boyfriend before and she is a little intimidated in Sheldon's few experiences. Well on with date number 4: the Zoo...enjoy.**

**Thanks as always to Boys3allC for your help in extra thoughts that I didn't put in. Oh and thanks now I keep thinking about finishing each other's sandwiches...**

**I don't own it:**

On Saturday mornings Sheldon always got up at 6:15. He then poured himself a bowl of cereal and added a quarter cup of 2% milk. After he sat in his spot on the couch, turned on BBC America and watched Doctor Who. This particular Saturday morning was going to be no different; he had a routine and he stuck to it. A morning date to the zoo was not going to change that about him. Although, he thought if he woke up with Amy in his bed, he may change his schedule. Sheldon briefly allowed himself to think about what it would be like to wake up and have her soft body next to his, barely covered by a sheet, her dark hair fanned out on his pillow. He had to get those thoughts out of his mind. Amy had made it clear she was not interested in that kind of relationship. He was having a hard enough time concentrating on his show, thinking about the zoo and now he was having these tawdry thoughts about her.

Once his show was over, he continued his routine and took a shower and got dressed. Sheldon found himself getting very excited about this date, partly because he hadn't been to the zoo in months. He could never get his friends to go with him. Recently he found himself just going when there was a special event for pass holders only. The rest of him was excited because he was so glad to finally have someone to share one of his favorite places with. Not only that but she was a pass holder as well. Maybe they could go often.

He loved watching the koalas first. They were his favorite. Then he liked to go see the monkeys. He was getting more and more excited as he thought about it. When he checked the clock to see what time it was, he discovered it was still only 8:30. He had another hour and a half to wait for her to arrive.

Across town, Amy was busy trying to get her mother off the phone. She kept looking at the clock. It was already 8:30 and she hadn't showered yet. It was a twenty minute drive to Sheldon's apartment so she needed to leave in just over an hour. At the rate of questions being thrown at her she would be lucky to get off the phone by 9:00.

"So has he called since Wednesday?" her mother asked as way of a greeting when she picked up the phone.

"Yes, mother…" Amy began but her mother cut her off.

"Are you seeing him again? And if so when?" Her mother asked her. Amy sighed. She could have sworn she told her mom she had a date with him that morning the last time they spoke.

"Mom, yes I am seeing him again. Didn't I tell you this?" Her mother was not the type to forget about her having a date.

"Okay, you did but I wanted to call and see what time you were going out again today."

_Then why didn't you just ask that?_ Amy thought annoyingly, but she had learned that when it came to her mother she should just go with it.

"Actually I saw him last night." She answered. "And yes I am seeing him again today." She heard her mother gasp on the other end. Four dates in a week, even if this didn't work out the mere fact she was going out with a man more than once should shut her up for awhile.

"Two dates in two days, oh Amy I am so happy." She gushed

"But mom, I've already explained, we are just going to be friends." She was trying to dial down her mother's ever inflating expectations.

"So he is gay? Figures you meet a guy that is probably completely compatible with you and…." Amy stopped her very flustered.

_Why does everyone keep asking if he is gay? Can't a man and a woman have a platonic relationship without the man being gay_. She thought to herself.

"Mom, stop, Sheldon is not gay. We are just not ready for a relationship. We are keeping it casual" She thought that should be understandable. She had heard other people describe relationships without romantic expectation as casual.

"Didn't you just meet him last Saturday? Amy if you aren't ready then why are you seeing him again? I believe this makes four times in one week. What does keeping it 'casual' even mean?" Her mother pointed out the excitement in her voice palpable

"Well it means we are friends without romantic expectation" Amy wasn't sure what to say to her mother. She was right. She had never been on a third date with a man and now she was going on a fourth in one week.

"But you do like him." Her mom stated.

"Okay mom, yes I like him! Sheldon is a very interesting man, we have a lot in common. As a matter of fact we are going to the zoo today."

"Oh you always loved the zoo. Whose idea was it? Oh and I want to know why I was not informed about the date last night."

"The zoo was his idea, he asked me after our date on Tuesday. Then he sent me a text on Wednesday saying his neighbor wanted to meet me. So he invited me over last night. All we did was just hang out in his apartment with friends. We had Chinese and played games. It was fun."

"Why would his neighbor want to meet you?" Her mother asked curiously.

"Well apparently she and Sheldon…" But Amy couldn't get the rest of the sentence out before her mother was interrupting her.

"She?! Amy does he have another girlfriend? Now I know why you are just going to be keeping it 'casual' if he is dating another girl." Her mother said disgusted.

"No mom that is not it. She is just his friend. She is a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory. She tried dating his roommate but it didn't work out."

"So you are sure nothing is going on with him and her?"

"From what I could see they are more like brother and sister than lovers." Amy pointed out.

"Well if you are sure." Her mother said not sounding very sure.

"Believe me mom, I am sure. If Sheldon were dating Penny than he would not have time or need for me. We had an interesting discussion about the number of men Penny has dated and slept with. According to the math Sheldon did in his head, Penny has dated 193 men and slept with 31."

"Well we have a name for that kind of a girl." Her mom said aghast.

"Yes I know but she is really a nice person. She invited me over for a girl's night tonight after my date with Sheldon." Amy was really looking forward to it, she had never had a girls night before.

"Oh that is very nice. Now you be careful. Don't drink and drive do you hear me." She was so happy that her introverted daughter seemed to be finally making some friends.

"Mother, you know I don't drink." Amy was scandalized. She never touched alcohol. She then became worried that Penny and Bernadette would pressure her into drinking.

"I know but sometimes you get persuaded easily."

"Not this time. I don't want to lose brain cells because of alcohol. This brain has too much going for it." Amy said.

"Well good for you. Now what time is your date?"

"I am picking him up in…." She looked at the clock and realized it was 9:15. "Mom I got to go. I need to pick him up in 45 minutes and I haven't showered. I will call you tomorrow I promise." She hung up the phone before her mother had a chance to respond.

She rushed into the shower and was out in 15 minutes. She pulled her hair back and ran out the door. She couldn't believe she had gotten ready so quickly. She jumped in her car and made her way to Pasadena. She got very lucky and hit all the lights when they were green. She arrived at 2311 Los Robles with 2 minutes to spare. She made her way quickly up the stairs and knocked on the door out of breath.

Sheldon answered the door with a big smile on his face that Amy couldn't help but emulate.

"Good morning Amy." He said to her.

"Good morning Sheldon." She smiled back at him. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes. I have been looking forward to this all week. The time really slowed down this morning. I thought 10:00 was never going to get here." He told her.

"I've been looking forward to it as well. I almost didn't make it here on time. My mother called me and kept me on the phone until 9:15. I hung up on her so I could get ready." She explained.

"You hung up on your mother?" Sheldon asked impressed thinking Mary Cooper with have a fit if he ever hung up on her.

"Well she was giving me the third degree." She said to him.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"All she wanted to know was about you." Amy admits.

"Me, why?" He was curious and pleased. Amy must like him to mention him to her mother. He himself would not mention any relationship to his mother unless it was pretty special. What had Amy told her mother about him? Good things he hoped.

"Well ever since we went out last week she has been calling after every da…meeting." She had started to say date but since they technically were not dating she changed it.

"Why does she care if we are dating?" Sheldon didn't care. He knew she was going to say it and it pleased him.

"Well I told you I had that agreement. She was curious as to how the first date went when she called last Sunday. I told her we were going out again Tuesday and she called Wednesday. I know I had told her we were going out today but she called anyway and acted as if I didn't. She is just being a pest."

"Well I am sure she isn't. She just cares." Sheldon said. "So shall we get going?"

"Yes." Amy said.

The two walked down the stairs to her car. On the drive to the zoo they talked about work.

"I would love to see your research." Amy said to him.

"Well maybe you could come by this week and we can have lunch then I will show you." He said to her.

"That would be nice." She said smiling. "I may have to take an afternoon off though as UCLA is about a 45minute drive on a good day."

"Oh well I don't want you to miss your work." He said, seriously not wanting it to affect her career,even if he was please she would consider it.

"No I have some vacation time coming up and my assistant and I have about three more days of our last study. I should be available Thursday for lunch." She said.

"Thursday it is then." He smiled.

Amy couldn't believe he asked her out again, this time to his work. She wondered what it would be like to work with him or at the same place as him. She could see them having lunch every day, discussing there days research. Driving him home from work, staying for a cup of tea and maybe dinner. Amy had to shake her head to snap out of the daydream she was having.

"So what should we see first when we get to the zoo?" She asked him.

"Well this might sound strange but I like to start at the back because…."

"There is no one there." She finished.

"Exactly!" He was impressed, she liked to start at the back too, just another way in which they were alike.

"It also helps that the monkeys and koalas are back there." She said looking over at him.

"You like koalas?" He couldn't believe it. She really was perfect for him.

"I like the monkeys more, don't get me wrong, but there is just something about watching a koala when they are nibbling on…"

"Eucalyptus." He finished. She just smiled.

"Yes, eucalyptus. It is just adorable. The last time I was here they had just introduced us to the baby koala. It was an exclusive event."

"I was here too!" Sheldon was so excited. "That baby is the cutest thing I have ever seen." He said, thinking, Amy was the cutest person he had ever seen. Sheldon wondered what it would have been like if he could have met her sooner. Already he felt like he had known her forever, like she was a part of him that was missing.

"It is no wonder we never met before. I really have only come to the zoo when they are doing exclusive events because I never really have anyone to go with." Thinking the same thing Sheldon was, wishing she could have met him even sooner. She could have spared herself from some of the loneliness.

"Me too. My friends never want to come with me. Penny thinks it is childish to come to the zoo." Sheldon said thinking sometimes it was fun to act a little childish.

"Well then I am glad I can be someone you can come here with. For the record I think sometimes it is good to get in touch with your inner child, and act a little childish. We are scientists we work hard, we deserve to act a little silly at the zoo." She smiled.

"I feel the same way." He smiled at her. He could see them going to the zoo all the time.

When they arrived at the zoo, they showed their passes and made their way to the back where the koalas and monkeys were.

"Monkeys or koalas first?" Sheldon asked rubbing his hands together.

"I say koalas because this is usually when they are feeding them." Amy replied already walking down the path to the exhibit. "Then the monkeys because they tend to sleep in the afternoon."

"I agree, then maybe we could get ice cream?" Sheldon said to her.

"That sounds wonderful." She said.

When they got to the koalas they saw just what they had predicted. The zookeeper was in the process of feeding them. Amy looked at Sheldon and he had the most precious smile on his face. It was sort of a dreamy far off look, he looked so relaxed and sweet. Sheldon felt her staring at him.

"What?" He asked tilting his head to the side

"Oh nothing." she said trying to pass it off but he looked at her intently and she caved. "You have the cutest smile while looking at them." She pointed out to him. She felt a little embarrassed both by him catching her staring and her admission.

"I do?" He asked. He knew he always smiled when he watched the koalas but he didn't think he had a particular smile.

"Yeah you look like you are about to sigh but just smile instead. I am going to call it your koala face from now on"

"My koala face…" he repeats. "Oh well, they are cute." He said a bit embarrassed.

"Yes they are." She agreed, thinking that he was much cuter than any koala.

.

They left the koalas and worked their way to the monkeys. While they were walking, Sheldon thought he would try something to see if it would work. He brushed his hand lightly against Amy's and waited. Hoping she would at least brush back but he didn't get a response. So he put his hands back by his side and just continued to walk next to her.

Amy was confused, part of her would love nothing more than to grab his hand and walk hand in hand with him the rest of the way throughout the zoo. She knew she really felt a bond with him, but she couldn't help but be afraid. She had no experience in dating. Sheldon clearly had dated in the past. When she felt him brush her hands she pulled her hands together. She didn't know why. The night before she was thinking about kissing him on the cheek but now she felt a bit gun shy.

"Too soon?" He asked her he asked her softly, taking note of her tightly clasped hands.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Don't be. I told you last night, if you don't feel comfortable, please tell me." He said to her. He was a bit frustrated, it was just hand holding. It was not like he had grabbed her and put his tongue down her throat. But knew he could be patient with her. This girl would be worth waiting for.

"It's just after talking to you last night, I am not sure what I want. I want to be honest with you. You are the first man I have ever had a third date with and now we are technically on date number four and it has only been a week. I feel like I am rushing into something… My mother is not helping either, she is putting a lot of pressure on me."

"Amy listen to me. I like you..a lot… I won't deny that. I have never felt a connection to someone the way I have with you. But I won't rush you into something you are not ready for." He started. But Amy cut him off.

"But you have experience in dating, I have next to none." She said softly.

"I have dated a few woman in the past. Amy I won't lie."

"And you have had sex." There it was, the elephant in the room, Amy was worried she would not be enough for him. How long would he honestly wait for he to be ready.

"Yes but I explained to you last night." Sheldon started looking her in the eyes but Amy looks away and interrupts.

"I know what you told me and I have to be honest it scared me. I know you said you weren't interested in a one night stand but you have had them." Amy said walking away looking into an exhibit of hyenas without really seeing them.

"One that was understood to be that way. The first one, I wanted a relationship with the woman. You have to believe me. I am not the sort of guy who is into that. I am not proud of myself for doing that with the woman a few months ago. She seemed perfectly okay with it and I fooled myself into thinking I was as well. If that scared you, I am sorry." Sheldon said walking up behind her, wanting more than to spin her around and make her look at him. He needed her to see how sincere he was.

"It's okay. You were just so casual about it that I got scared. I like you too and I also feel the connection. I want us to get to know each other better, this all happening so quickly."

"Well I agree with that. This is why I keep asking to see you. If we are seeing each other too much please let me know. When I have a feeling about something I know it and I have a feeling we could be very close. Usually my feeling are right. But again please let me know." His tone was so plaintive that it made Amy spin around to face him.

"I will… You asked if we are seeing each other too much, and my answer would definitely be no. Let's just take this one day at a time."

"That sounds good." He smiled at her and they continued to walk towards the monkeys. The monkeys were very playful that day and Amy was in her glory watching them. It was Sheldon's turn to stare as her face glowed with happiness watching them.

"My assistant and I are hoping to get put on the addiction study at work. We would be starting with small animals but then working our way into the larger animals including monkeys." Amy tells him

"That sounds fascinating. What are you working on now?"

"Right now we are finishing our study in aging."

"Did you find out anything new?" he inquires curiously

"Not really but it is fascinating work none the less." She said shrugging her shoulders.

They continued to walk around the zoo and talk about their work and their lives. They had ice cream and then saw a show that had just come out. They had a great they were leaving, Amy realized she hadn't checked with Sheldon about the restaurant they were they were going to eat.

"Oh Sheldon I meant to ask you if you like Indian food." She said as they were making their way to her car at the end of the day.

"I love it why?" He asked.

"Well as promised I am taking you to dinner and I wanted to take you to my favorite Indian restaurant.

"I'm not a big fan of new restaurants." He stated not wanting to get into a lengthy explanation about non standard cutlery with her.

"Well since you love Indian food you may know the place." Amy said hopefully

"We always get our food from Himalayan Café."

"Well it doesn't surprise me that we have the same taste in Indian food!" Amy said to him. "It's a 15 minute drive from my apartment but I love it. They know me so well they have my favorite dish ready when they see me come in."

"Oh well then I guess that is perfect then. I don't get to go very often because Rajesh hates Indian food."

"That is funny." Amy said.

They got to her car and Amy drove them to the restaurant. She parked and they went in. The waiter saw her and came over immediately.

"Good evening, Amy." He said to her. "Can I get you the usual?"

"Yes but my friend here needs to order." Amy says gesturing to Sheldon and smiling,it is the first time she has brought a date here.

"Oh I know what I want." Sheldon said. "I would like the Kahai Paneer."

"Wonderful selection." The waiter said. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Just a water for me." Amy answered.

"Ice tea." Sheldon said.

The waiter came back with their drinks. Amy and Sheldon talked about many different things.

"So I know you said you were in Germany, have you ever been in another foreign country?" She asked.

"No, although just this past winter I could have gone to Switzerland with Leonard."

"Why didn't you?" She asked curiously.

"I got sick with the flu, It was Penny's fault." He said angrily.

"I'm almost afraid to ask." She said.

"Well Leonard and Penny were dating at the time and he was given the opportunity to go to Cern. He was going to take Penny as it was Valentine's Day but we had an agreement that if one of us was every invited then we would take the other."

"Please don't tell me you were going to hold him to that when he had a girlfriend at Valentine's Day." She commented

.

"Well of course I was. An agreement is an agreement."

"Didn't you ever think you guys would get a girlfriend?" She asked, maybe he was not as worldly as she thought

"Well as it didn't seem likely, you know? When we first met it was after my disaster with Leslie, and I had sworn off of woman. Leonard, he was nerdier than me, we just agreed to it. We never made any of our agreements stipulate that a girl would trump them."

"Oh well if it is all of the agreements." She said sarcastically.

"I may not be very good at sarcasm but I got that one." He smiled at her. She was pretty funny.

"Well come on Sheldon, I've met Penny once and I can say if I understand why Leonard would want to take her over you. No offense. But that still doesn't explain why you were going to go. Did you talk him into taking you?" She was really curious about how Penny didn't wind up going.

"No but I tried talking to Penny. After begging her, she told me she would talk to Leonard. I was so happy I hugged her."

"Yes and how did that stop her from going?"

"She got the flu first and gave it to me. Neither one of us could go. Leonard took Raj." He laughed at the memory. "Raj sent pictures of the romantic room Leonard had booked."

Amy started to laugh. "He seems like the type that would do that and I didn't get much of a chance to talk to him."

"Well there us a reason for that,he cant talk to beautiful women unless he is drunk. Then beautiful women don't want to talk with him because he gets really obnoxious when he is drunk."

"I will keep that in mind." Flushing that he had causally called her beautiful

They continued their conversation through dinner and when the check came, Amy insisted on paying even though Sheldon had pulled out his wallet.

"No I told you I would get this one." She said putting her hand on his and lowering his wallet

"Fine but you don't owe me for dinner the other night. I invited you so it was only fair I pay."

"And I invited you tonight." She said.

"Touche." He said.

"I guess we should get going, this place is getting crowded." Amy pointed out.

"Yes and besides don't you have a night of drunken debauchery planned with the girls?" He asked raising his eyebrows.

"Yes but I don't drink so I don't think that will be a problem." She said.

"Oh that is good to know." He said liking that about her,, he was not much for drinking either.

They drove back to Sheldon's apartment and walked up the steps. Sheldon once again staying one step back to watch Amy walk up in front of her. He couldn't resist looking at her rear move. When they arrived at 4A Amy decided it was time to make a slight move. She knew he wouldn't because he was respecting her wishes but it was fine for her to do it as well.

"Well goodnight." He said to her standing by his apartment door.

"Goodnight." She said. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a hug. She got the courage at the last minute to brush her lips softly against his cheek. It was brief, no more than a peck, but Sheldon could still feel the tingle left by her soft lips against his smooth check. He had to resist the urge to take her in his arms and press her against the door. He just smiled at her.

"I had a really good time." He said. "I will call you tomorrow and we will set something up for later in the week. Maybe you can hang with us at the Cheesecake Factory again on Tuesday. We eat there every week."

"It will all depend on my study." She said. She didn't want to commit to it since she had no idea how much more work was needed to complete it. "But I will see you on Thursday for sure for lunch."

"I look forward to it, Dr. Fowler." He said.

"Me too, Dr. Cooper." She said.

He opened his door and walked inside. Amy went across the hall and tentatively knocked on the door. Penny answered the door a minute later.

"Hey Amy. I am so glad you could join us. Come on in." Penny said.

She walked into the apartment to have her first girls' night ever.

**Can anyone guess what might come after the girls' night?**

**Let me know if you think you got it.**

**Reviews make my day...**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: First I must say I am so sorry about the delay. I had hoped to have this finished before the weekend started and maybe up by Monday but as Murphy's Law would state I spilled a half of glass of water on my laptop. Thank goodness it dried over the weekend so I didn't have to reinvent the wheel which was already more than halfway completed. Thanks for your patience. **

**So no one got my little clue about Amy going to see Sheldon at work...well sorry folks hold on to your hats we have a bit of angst coming this way which will be resolved very quickly. **

**Thanks as always to Boys3allC for your help in polishing this up. I feel like this story is both of ours. Now for those of you that don't know her...go read her stuff it's awesome too.**

**Now here's my disclaimer...I don't own these characters well except for Hannah, she is all mine.**

"_Hey Amy. I am so glad you could join us. Come on in." Penny said._

_ She walked into the apartment to have her first girls' night ever._

Amy wasn't sure what to expect. She was so happy to have been invited to a girls' night that she just said yes without even she was nervous, almost as nervous as she had been on her first date with Sheldon. She wanted these girls to like her so badly. But as it had been with dating, her track record for making female friends was not the best. In fact Amy had never really had any close friends male or female. Amy wanted to make a good impression, she was worried about how she was dressed. Penny told her to dress comfortable so she had brought a change of clothing with her. Amy did not own anything she would deem especially comfortable so she had purchased a gray sweat suit. Then when she walked in she saw Bernadette was wearing a dress so she felt she could get away with her skirt and blouse.

"So girls, what shall we do tonight?" Penny asked sitting on the couch with her feet tucked up under her.

"Why don't we just stay in and get to know Amy." Bernadette suggested.

"Oh there isn't a lot to get to know." Amy said embarrassed there truly was not much to get to know about her, her life thus far had been spectacularly boring.

"Nonsense." Bernadette said. "Tell us about yourself, like where are you from for starters?"

"Well I grew up in Santa Barbara with my mom and dad. My father died when I was ten. Then it was just me and my mother until I graduated from high school at sixteen two years earlier than I should have." Not bragging just explaining why she was so young when she graduated.

"Wow! You must be like super smart like Sheldon, you know he graduated from high school early too." Penny said.

"Well yes, but not quite like Sheldon he graduated at eleven, by sixteen he already a Phd." Amy said the admiration clear in her voice, Penny and Bernadette exchanged glances. They really want to hear more about their relationship but that could wait until later.

"So what do you do for fun?" Bernadette asked.

"Well I like to quilt, I am hard core into quilting and I read medieval literature. Oh and I play the harp" She answered.

"Anything else?" Penny asked not at all interested in these things but wanting to find something in common with her.

"No not really." She says shaking her head but knowing she sounds kind of lame she continues." I am really into my work, my research is very important to me and takes up a lot of my time. What do you do Bernadette?" She hadn't really had the time to talk to Bernadette the night before.

"Well I work at the Cheesecake Factory with Penny. But during the day I am going to school to become a microbiologist." She answered.

"I thought about microbiology when I was picking my field but I just loved studying the brain." Amy commented

.

"What are you researching right now?" Bernadette asked very curious it would be nice to have someone to talk shop to.

.

"We are studying aging right now but it really isn't that much fun. What I am really interested in is addiction and its affects on the brains of primates. I will hopefully be getting a chance to start the research soon . In fact we will know by the end of the week."

"Oh now that sounds interesting." Bernadette said to her.

"Actually I agree." Penny said. "If you can find out what makes someone become addicted to something you may be able to prevent it in the first place." Penny was thinking about her brother who was going through yet another stint in rehab.

"Not exactly what we will be doing but very close." Amy said smiling pleased that she does not seem to be boring them with work talk.

"So Amy, we were thinking of watching a movie, do you have any preferences?" Penny asked her trying to change the subject to something she could understand.

"I love old French movies, I speak a little french so I find them fascinating. I also love a good romance story." She answered.

"I love romantic movies too! My favorite is The Notebook, Amy what is your favorite?" Penny asked.

"Oh I love _An Affair to Remember_." She answered.

"That's one of my favorites as well." Bernadette cooed. " Cary Grant is so dreamy, and the way they vow to met each other on the top of the Empire State Building."

"I have never seen it before is that where the whole meet me on top of the Empire State Building thing comes from?" Penny asked.

"I can't believe you have never seen it, it is one of the most romantic movies of all times." Bernadette told her

"Well now I have to see it, do you think Netflix has it?" Penny said looking it up. "Oh good they have it." She said.

"Great. I'll make the popcorn." Bernadette said.

"I'll get drinks. Amy, would you like a glass of wine or something else?" Penny asked.

"I'll have water." She answered. "I'm not much of a drinker." _Like never at all _Amy thought, a little nervous Penny might exude some of that peer pressure her mother had always warned her about.

"Sure no problem." Penny said pouring her a glass of water and bringing it to her.

The girls watched the movie and enjoyed it very much. Although at the end they are all in tears. It was getting late and Penny and Bernadette were drinking quite a bit.

"All right, time to open Bachelor Number Two." Penny said opening a second bottle of wine.

"Gee, I don't know if I should drink more. I have to drive home, and I've got enough trouble seeing over the dashboard as it is." Bernadette commented.

"That's okay. You can just sleep here." Penny said to her meaning she could just crash on her couch, but Amy gets excited.

.

"Oh good a slumber party! We'll do makeovers, initiate phony phone calls, and have spirited pillow fights in our frilly nighties!" Amy was super excited, when she was younger she had always dreamed of being invited to one

"Oh, gosh, Amy. I don't know if I would call this an actual slumber party." Penny said to her trying to tamp down her expectations..

"Well, that's disappointing. I've always wanted to be invited to a slumber party." Amy said sadly. She was hoping she could stay too. She was really enjoying herself with these girls.

"Oh, you never were?" Bernadette asked her

.

"Not even when you were a kid?" Penny asked.

"Well, there was the time I had my tonsils out, and I shared a room with a little Vietnamese girl. She didn't make it through the night, but up till then, it was kind of fun." Amy answered. She knew it didn't count but that was the closet she had ever come. "I never really had many friends growing up." Amy admits sadly and something about the pitiful look on her face almost breaks Penny's heart. If Ay wants a sleepover then they would have a sleepover.

"Okay. Well, I guess we're having a slumber party. Oh!" Penny exclaimed as something hit her in the face.

"Pillow fight!" Amy screamed.

The rest of the night the girls had a good time piling as much classic sleepover fun as they could into the night for Amy's sake. Much to Amy's surprise one of her favorite activities of the night was doing make overs. Amy had never put much stock in wearing makeup but the girls insisted. After they applied the make up to her face and held a mirror up to her she felt so glamorous. Amy wondered what Sheldon would think if he saw her with cat eyes and lip gloss, would he think she looked pretty like this.

Amy had a wonderful time, she really felt like she was making up for all the fun she ha missed as a child. About half way through the night, Penny, who was a bit tipsy decided to ask Amy some personal questions.

"So the other night, I heard you and Sheldon talking about past experiences and I know you overheard. Did you really have 128 orgasms?" Penny asked her impressed.

Bernadette spit out the wine she was drinking. "128! You go girl!" She said to her pumping her tiny fist.

"It's not what it sounds like." Amy started to explain. "We were doing a study at work and they needed test subjects. I needed to pay off my student loans and they were offering a good amount of money. They used electrodes to stimulate the pleasure centers of my brain. The whole experience was rather clinical and embarrassing."

"That actually sounds interesting." Penny said. "Are they still conducting the experiments?" Penny was thinking she could use some extra cash and that orgasms for dollars sounded like a great way to do it.

"No that study was 5 years ago." Amy answered.

"Oh well worth a shot." Penny said.

"So Sheldon told me that you were an actress, have you had any big parts?" Amy asked curiously.

"No not really. I did a production of Anne Frank over a bowling alley a couple of years ago. But I haven't had any big rolls. I have an audition next week for a role on a new sitcom."

"Can you do comedy?" Bernadette asked her.

"In my acting class we do a lot of improve and I have been practicing being funny. I usually get a few laughs from my fellow classmates."

"Well good luck." Amy said.

"Thank you, I think I could get this one. I have been practicing for two weeks. Leonard has been a big help. He has been running lines with me. I think he feels guilty for never helping me before and when that bitch upstairs moved in, he was all over helping her."

"Which bitch?" Bernadette asked.

"Alicia." Penny answered.

"Oh yeah I remember you telling me about her. Whatever happened to her?"

"Who's Alicia?" Amy asked. She wanted to be a part of gossip. She never had friends in high school and she was beginning to see the appeal of talking about other girls. Though usually she was the one the other girls were talking about.

"She was this girl who moved in above Sheldon and Leonard. She was an actress like me, well not exactly like me, she actually got parts. But we found out that she slept her way into them. Anyway the guys fawned all over her, well except for Sheldon." Penny said.

"What happened to her?" Amy was curious.

"Oh I heard she got some big part in a movie and she moved in with her producer boyfriend." Penny said.

"It sounds like the guys were being used." Amy commented.

"They totally were and she had the audacity to accuse me of the same thing."

"Well Penny from what you have told me…" Bernadette started.

"Okay, okay maybe when I first met them I was using them a bit but once I got to know them I found them to be very enjoyable. Alicia was just using them. Even Sheldon saw it and he doesn't usually notice anything." Penny stated thinking about how oblivious Sheldon had been to Ramona and her little manipulations.

"How would you know that?" Amy asked curiously.

"Oh well um,…" Penny wasn't sure where to start. She didn't think she should tell Amy about Sheldon's past.

"Sheldon has told me he dated in the past. It is not a secret if that is what you are worried about." Amy told her.

"Oh well then, did he tell you about Ramona?" She asked.

"I don't remember that name. He told me about a Heidi, Leslie and a Martha." Amy said.

"Oh those were the ones he slept with." Penny said.

"Sheldon slept with Leslie too?" Bernadette asked shocked.

"Yeah, he was the first of the guys." Penny commented.

"First?" Amy asked.

"Well yeah, Leslie is a bit of a slut. She has pretty much made her way through the science department at Caltech and she has slept with three of the four guys in our little group."

"Who else?" Bernadette asked.

"Leonard." Penny answered.

"So who did she sleep with first, Leonard or Howard?" Bernadette was curious.

"Leonard. It was about a month after I moved in to this apartment. Sheldon came over to me for advice when it happened. He didn't know what a tie on the doorknob meant." Penny laughed at the memory.

"What does it mean?" Amy asked.

"You don't know either? Geez you guys are really meant for each other." Penny said. "A tie on a doorknob is an old college trick. It means you don't want your roommate to come into the room."

"Oh. Well my first roommate was a bit of a nerd like me then I didn't have one after my first semester. I lived alone." Amy said.

"That's sad. Well anyway, Sheldon was totally clueless and had no idea how to act. That is how I found out about him and Leslie. He was not happy about her being there and he was sure she was using Leonard. He was right. Leslie stayed with Howard the longest." Penny said.

"I didn't know that." Bernadette said.

"So not to change the subject, but we were talking about a girl named Ramona." Amy wanted to get back to the original topic. She was not jealous but she was curious to hear more about his past and why he left this woman off his list.

"Oh yeah, Ramona was a graduate student who took a liking to Sheldon. Sheldon took quite a liking to her as well. He asked her to come over for dinner and they were discussing one of his papers and then they started working on another paper. Well she basically took over his life for the month they dated."

"Took over how exactly?" Amy asked curiously

"Well for starters she would not let him play Halo or paintball."

"Really and he allowed that?" Bernadette knew how seriously the guys took their paintball and Halo games.

"Yes and he seemed fine with it. She kept him focused. The guys asked me to talk to him and then she accused me of being in love with Sheldon."

"Like that would ever happen." Bernadette laughed.

"Why?" Amy asked. She was happy to hear that but wanted to know the reasoning.

"Well for one, I would kill him, I mean he is a nice guy but sometimes he annoys me so bad." Penny started. "And two we will only ever be just friends. Sheldon is like a brother to me. I know he is several years older but at times he seems so young and naïve. So I feel like it is my duty protect him."

"That's sweet." Amy said glad Sheldon has a friend like Penny in his life.

"Yes and please know I am not interested in him like that at all. I was extremely impressed with his intelligence the day I met him and his boards were very cool, but I don't understand half the stuff he says. Someday I may get it but I haven't in the four years I've known him."

"So he is too smart for you?" Bernadette asked.

"Uh, yeah! He's too smart for a lot of people, even Leonard and he is a genius too. I wonder how anyone gets him at all."

"He isn't that hard to understand." Amy said thinking he was probably the only person she had every met who understood her and wondering if he felt the same way about her.

"It doesn't surprise me that you understand him. I had a feeling you did." Penny said.

"Why is that?" Amy asked pleased and curious.

"Because he has asked you out four times this week." Penny pointed out holding out four fingers for extra empathize.

"He didn't do that with anyone else?" Amy inquired.

"Well with Ramona she sort of just showed up and then didn't really leave. He kind of just accepted it, and went with it, but I never got the feeling he _wanted _her there. Now with you… I probably should shut up now. I have a tendency to blab when I drink too much. Just know that Sheldon likes you like a lot. I have seen the way you light up when you talk about him or hear his name so I would say you like him too."

"Well I have never been gotten a third date with a guy until Sheldon let alone the fourth that we went on today. I do enjoy his company." Amy said not wanting to tell Penny how much. If the girl is an admitted blabber mouth she did not want her telling Sheldon later.

"Well he enjoys yours as well. Have you set another date?" Penny asked.

"Yes, he asked me to join you guys on Tuesday. I am not sure I will be able to make it just because of our end of study, but I am going to be going to his lab for lunch on Thursday."

"Oh wow, now I know that is a special date. Sheldon doesn't ask many people to see his research." Penny said.

"I didn't know." Amy blushed.

The girls settled in and watched another movie before they all fell asleep around two in the morning. Amy was so happy. She felt she had made two good friends that evening and could see herself hanging out with them again. She hoped she made a good impression on them.

Sunday morning, Amy woke up around ten o clock, much later then her usual wake up time. Penny and Bernadette were still sleeping and Amy didn't know what she should do. Not wanting to wake her new friends, and not knowing if it was rude to leave without saying goodbye, she decided to clean up the dishes from the evening before. Amy actually hated leaving dishes in the sink overnight but it was Penny's apartment so she didn't say anything. Penny wandered out about twenty minutes later.

"Geez now I know you and Sheldon are meant for each other. About a week after I moved in, Sheldon broke into this apartment and cleaned it up while I was sleeping. Now here you are doing my dishes while I am sleeping." Penny said.

"Oh I hope I didn't offend you." Amy said. "I just hate dirty dishes in a sink."

"No not at all. At least you didn't break in to do it. You were already here. Can I make you a cup of coffee or something?" She asked starting her coffee pot.

"Do you have tea? I am not much of a coffee drinker."

"I have a box of regular tea. I don't have a lot of variety like Sheldon." She answered.

"Oh plain is fine. Do you have honey?" Amy asked.

"I think so." She answered.

The girls had their breakfast and talked a little bit more. Before they knew it, it was noon and Amy's phone was ringing for the fourth time. It had been ringing every fifteen minutes since 11:00.

"Geez Amy whoever is trying to get in touch with you, is really persistent." Bernadette said.

"Is it Sheldon?" Penny asked.

"Nope my mother." Amy knew without even looking.

"Why is she calling? And why so often?" Penny was curious.

"She's nosy." Amy started. "I promised her yesterday I would call her this morning. I didn't know I would be spending the night so she probably thinks I am dead in a ditch or something."

"Maybe you should answer it." Bernadette told her.

"You may be right. This will just continue until I eventually answer or she drives the two hours to come check on me." Amy said. "I really need to get going anyway. I will shoot her a quick text telling her I will call when I get home. Listen I had a really great time and thank you for including me."

"Anytime." Penny said. "I had fun too. Hopefully we will see you Tuesday."

"Like I said I am not sure but if I can I will be there." Amy said. "Goodbye." She left the apartment and was about to walk down the stairs. She hadn't heard the door from 4A open right after she walked out of Penny's.

"Well hello there." Sheldon said to her his voice deep and low and Amy jumped.

"Oh hello Sheldon. You startled me." She said holding her hand to her chest feeling her heart thud wildly. She could not tell if it was from her scare or from seeing him standing in the doorway his eyes sweeping over her.

"What are you doing here this morning?" Sheldon asked her.

"Oh well the girls and I decided to have a sleepover after they got a little tipsy." She answered. "I was just on my way out."

"That is nice. Did the girls treat you alright? I would hate to have to lose two friends and possibly their significant others if they didn't." He said to her and she did not know if he was serious or not but she appreciated the sentiment.

"We had a great time. It was my first slumber party ever." Amy said excitedly. "Listen I really have to go, but how about we Skype later and I can tell you all about it?" It was the first time she initiated any contact with him.

"I look forward to it." He said and he leaned in close Amy's whole body tensed up in anticipation and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, Amy blushed furiously.

"Okay I will talk to you later." She stuttered. She didn't know why she was so flushed all of a sudden like the temperature in the hallway had been cranked up to hades.. As she made her way down the stairs, she could still smell his lingering baby powder smell and feel his lips on her cheek.

Sheldon was proud of himself, he had heard the girls talking for the better part of two hours. Yet he had restrained himself and had not gone over to see them. Sheldon had wanted to see why they were all still there but figured eventually they would leave. So he just kept his ear out, lingering by his doorway. When he heard Penny's door open he peered out the peep hole and saw Amy leaving. So he quietly opened the door wanting to surprise her. The image of her jumping in surprise still made him chuckle inwardly. It seemed as if she had a good time with the girls and for that he was grateful. He could see her being in his life for a long time and he wanted his friends to get along with her. Sheldon wanted to hear Penny's point of view and went over to her apartment.

He did his signature knock and Penny answered right after he finished.

"What's up buttercup?" She said to him.

"I just wanted to come over and see how it went with Amy last night." He explained to her.

"Well we had fun. We decided to have a sleepover because Bernadette and I had a bit too much to drink. I suspect you know that already since you are here right after Amy left. Did you see her?" Penny asked.

"I did." He answered.

"So why are you here and not with her?"

"She had to go. She is going to call later and we will talk. I wanted to know what you thought."

"I liked her." Bernadette said. "She is very much like you."

"She is different than the other girls I have seen you with. She is the total opposite of Ramona."

"Well that is a good thing." Sheldon said. Ramona was still a sore spot with him. He liked Amy ten times more than he ever had Ramona

"That is very true. I do want to tell you that, for the sake of full disclosure, I made it clear to her that I wasn't interested in you."

"Why would you feel the need to do that?" Sheldon asks

"I didn't need a repeat of Ramona, and have Amy think I was secretly in love with you."

"Well I appreciate that." Then he paused while considering the implications. "Was she worried about it?"

"Amy never said anything to me about it but I think she was a little worried when she met me on Friday."

"If Amy never said anything to you about it then how do you know?"

"Her facial expression when I answered the door told the tale. I think she was momentarily worried that I was your girlfriend"

"Oh I had no idea." Sheldon said.

"Well rest assured, she knows you are my annoying little brother." Penny laughed.

"Penny I am six years older than you." Sheldon pointed out.

"Are you? I don't know sometimes you act like you are a lot younger than that."

"Sarcasm?"

"Obviously." Penny laughed.

"I'm getting better." He said. "So what do you think?...about Amy"

"Sheldon I really like her, in my humble opinion she is perfect for you. I hope this one works out because I think this girl could be the one." Penny said finally.

"I think so too."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Amy got home about twenty minutes after sending the text to her mother. She figured she couldn't put it off anymore and called her.

"Amy please tell me you didn't spend the night at your new boyfriend's home." Her mother answered the phone saying.

"No mom I did not." Amy listened to her mothers unconvinced grunt and proceeded." I was at his neighbor Penny's home. She and the other girl Bernadette had a bit too much to drink so they decided to have a sleepover. Before you ask I drank water most of the night with some soda here and there. But Penny said I could stay too. I had a really good time. I think these girls could be really good friends."

"Oh that is wonderful. Now how was the zoo?"

"Geez mom." Her mother was anxious to get to the good part.

"Oh come on you know that is why I called."

"We had a good time." She answered.

"Did he make any moves?" Her mom asked worried.

"He tried to hold my hand." Amy answered.

"And…?"

"And what mom?"

"Amy Farrah Fowler don't be obtuse with me."

" I didn't hold it. I am not ready. He is being very respectful of my wishes."

"Amy, holding hands is not a big deal." Her mother sighed.

"I know but we have only known each other a week. I think we are moving very fast."

"Well you do what is best for you." Her mother sounded so disappointed she decided to throw her a bone.

"Thank you, I did give him a kiss on the cheek after the zoo. Then he returned the favor this morning."

"I thought you said you were at his neighbor's!" She yelled.

"I was! Sheldon just happened to come out of his apartment as I was leaving Penny's, I swear mom."

"So you will kiss him on the cheek but won't hold his hand?" her mother asked incredulously.

"I know, I just wasn't ready when he tried. I gave him the kiss because I appreciated the company at the zoo. We aren't even officially boyfriend and girlfriend. We are just seeing each other. For all I know he is seeing another woman."

"Why would you say that?"

_Because he is too good to be true and I don't want to get my hopes up_ Amy thinks but says: "Well I have heard that some men see several women at once before they settle down."

"Would you be okay with that?"

"I don't know." Amy replied knowing she would not be. Just hearing about him and Ramona last night had been difficult .

"I don't think you would be." Her mom said. "I can hear it in your voice. This man is special to you even if it has only been a week. Don't rush things but don't let him lead you along either."

"Thanks mom."

"I mean it. Listen I'll let you go. When are you seeing him again?"

"Thursday for sure, possibly Tuesday depending on work. I am going to Skype him later today."

"Okay I will call you Saturday and you can let me know how it is going. You can call me if you need to talk."

"Thanks, I will." Amy said.

"Goodbye, I love you."

"I love you too mom." Amy said and hung up.

Amy spent the rest of the day cleaning up her apartment. A little after dinner she decided to call via Skype. Sheldon answered the call on the second ring, his face popping up on screen. They talked all about her evening with the girls, Sheldon had not seen the movie either and was not surprised Penny hadn't either. Amy told him that she thought one of them could possibly become her best friend very soon. Sheldon was extremely happy that she got along so well with the girls.

"So are you going to join us on Tuesday?" Sheldon asked hopefully as they were wrapping up their conversation.

"I am going to try. I will text you around 4:30 and let you know. I really should get going. I need to be in at 6:00 tomorrow."

"I will let you go. Good night, Dr. Fowler." He said to her smiling.

"Goodnight Dr. Cooper." She said.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unfortunately Tuesday did not work out for Amy. She and Hannah had so much work to do that they worked until 10:00 on both Monday and Tuesday but because of that diligence finished the project on time for Wednesday. It was looking very good for them to get the addiction study. Amy was able to take a half day on Thursday because she was in between studies. She would find out on Friday if she would start the addiction study that following Monday.

Amy made her way across town to meet Sheldon for lunch and see his research. She was really looking forward to it because Penny had told her he hardly ever invited people to see his work. She explained that he was very secretive and thought someone would steal his work. When she arrived, Sheldon showed her around the campus Amy was impressed with the research facilities at Caltech. Sheldon took her to his office to show her what he was working on. Admittedly it was the first time Amy could see why the others had a hard time understanding him. Sheldon was very pompous as he explained his work often times leading a statement with "as a biologist you would not understand this." She had studied a little bit of physics as part of her undergraduate work but hadn't been interested at all. Though she had to admit she was impressed with his work, even if it was physics. Penny had not been lying about the work he did on them.

"Shall we go to lunch. The guys are expecting us." Sheldon said to her after showing her his boards.

"Sure." She said and followed him out of the office.

When they arrived they saw the guys sitting at a table across the cafeteria.

"There they are." Sheldon said and walked over to the table.

"Hey guys, you remember Amy." Sheldon said to them.

"Hello." They all said to her.

"I brought Amy here to show her some of the work I'm doing." Sheldon said to the guys.

"It's very impressive, for theoretical work." Amy commented. She did find it impressive but again it was just physics.

"Do I detect a hint of condescension?" Sheldon asked her. He couldn't believe she was not blown away by his genius.

"I'm sorry, was I being too subtle? I meant compared to the real-world applications of neurobiology, theoretical physics is, what's the word I'm looking for? Hmm, cute." Amy answered him. Did he really think his work was the most important in the world? How could he possibly be that arrogant?

Leonard and Howard who had been observing the whole conversation couldn't believe she was ripping his work. "Oooh!" They said together.

"Are you suggesting the work of a neurobiologist like Babinski could ever rise to the significance of a physicist like Clarke-Maxwell or Dirac?" Sheldon asked her. He was outraged. He thought she was brilliant but to believe this would be ridiculous.

"I'm stating it outright. Babinski eats Dirac for breakfast and defecates Clarke-Maxwell." She replied matter-of-factly.

"You take that back." Sheldon was angry.

Amy was not budging. "Absolutely not. My colleagues and I are mapping the neurological substrates that subserve global information processing, which is required for all cognitive reasoning, including scientific inquiry, making my research ipso facto prior in the ordo cognoscendi. That means it's better than his research, and by extension, of course, yours." She said looking at the other guys who were watching in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, I'm-I'm still trying to work on the defecating Clark Maxwell, so…" Leonard said realizing she had been speaking to them.

Sheldon knew exactly what to say to get her to see his side of the argument and agree. "Excuse me, but a grand unified theory, in so far as it explains everything, will ipso facto explain neurobiology." He said plainly.

Amy was not impressed. He was right but… "Yes, but if I'm successful, I will be able to map and reproduce your thought processes in deriving a grand unified theory, and therefore, subsume your conclusions under my paradigm."

_Did she really just refute that argument? _Sheldon thought to himself. Well he was not going to let her win this one.

"That's the rankest psychologism, and was conclusively revealed as hogwash by Gottlieb Frege in the 1890s!" He concluded.

"We appear to have reached an impasse." Amy said sadly.

"I agree. I move our relationship terminate immediately." Sheldon stated. He could not continue in this relationship if she couldn't see his side of things. He would not concede.

"Seconded." Amy agreed. She couldn't believe this was how things were going to end with them. But there was no way she was conceding.

"There being no objections…" Sheldon said to the guys. They were all sitting with their mouths open. They had witnessed the Ramona break up but Sheldon had been right on that one. This one however was not going to go well.

"No, uh-uh." They couldn't tell him that she was the best thing that ever happened to him.

"The motion carries. Good day, Amy Farrah Fowler." Sheldon said to her. He thought he had found his intellectual equal but he had been mistaken.

"Good day, Sheldon Cooper." She was upset but she knew that this was for the best. He was not her intellectual equal. What was she going to tell her mother? She picked up her purse and left the cafeteria.

**A/N: Okay are we ready for 25 cats and a visit from Mary? Well I hope so because this will work out better than the way it did in the show.**

**Reviews will help me write faster I promise. I love each and every one of them.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I must admit these next couple of chapters were hard to write. Breaking up the Shamy is not something I relish. But I must thank each and every one of you that reviewed the last chapter. It was hard. They will be righted I promise but it will take two chapters to get them back together. In the show we only saw Sheldon's point of view so I wanted to show Amy's as well. She is a bit different in my story but I think it still may have hurt her. So here it is...**

**Thanks as always to Boys3allC for taking a look at this. **

**I don't own it...**

"_The motion carries. Good day, Amy Farrah Fowler." Sheldon said to her. He thought he had found his intellectual equal but he had been mistaken._

"_Good day, Sheldon Cooper." She was upset but she knew that this was for the best. He was not his intellectual equal. What was she going to tell her mother? She picked up her purse and left the cafeteria._

Amy didn't know what to do. After she got in her car to drive home it hit her hard. That for the first time in her life she had just been dumped. Amy started to cry and she wasn't sure why exactly. It was not like it had been a lengthy courtship, she had only known Sheldon for a week and a half. This out pouring of emotion was so not like her. In the times before when she would go out on a date with a guy and he would say he would call yet didn't she was never upset. It was quite the opposite actually. She figured it was just as well. She didn't want to date in the first place anyhow.

Yet Amy felt something about this situation was horribly wrong. Sheldon was so intelligent and so in tune with everything she believed in. Amy was certain they could be very good friends if not more. So why had he decided on ending things? As much as racked her brains she couldn't be sure of exactly why. Was it just because she had questioned his intellectual authority? They were both scientists, surely he could handle a little intellectual sparing. Was it because she was taking things so slow he finally had enough of waiting?

When she got home and decided to take a long hot bath to forget what had just happened. After soaking for a while she supposed it didn't surprise her that it had ended. She never had the greatest track record when it came to men, that was no secret.

_At least now I can concentrate on my research and not worry about a relationship._ She thought.

Amy vowed to herself that she was going to make sure her mother did not interfere again when it came to her dating. She was done, it was just too emotionally exhausting for her. She would make that clear to her mother. She didn't need a man in her life. She didn't need friends. She just needed her work.

After her bath she decided to check her email. She discovered that she had six new friend requests on Facebook. She quickly opened it to find that Leonard, Howard, Raj, Penny and Bernadette had requested to be her friend. She also found Sheldon's request and she wasn't sure how to proceed. What was the social protocol in a situation like this? Amy wanted to continue her friendship with Penny and Bernadette so she accepted their friend requests without hesitation. What about the Sheldon's roommate and the other guys? They had obviously done this to become more acquainted with her. She didn't think it would hurt if she accepted their requests. It didn't mean she had to hang out with them or that they even wanted to hang out with her. If they chose to unfriend her then so be it she would not let it affect her. Amy finally accepted all but Sheldon's request, with his she just ignored it. In her heart something about that seemed so final about declining it. If he took away his request then that would definitely be the end. She wasn't ready to make it final quite yet. She just wanted to be able to keep looking at it and ponder what could have been. It wasn't healthy but this was the longest relationship she had ever been in and she wanted to remember it since she was never going to go on another date as long as she lived.

She made a solitary frozen dinner and went to bed early. She was worn out from her long week and she was anxious to get back to work the next day. She would find out if she got the addiction study and then she could put all her effort into that.

She was up early the next morning since she had gone to bed so early plus she really didn't sleep. She dragged herself into work and began her day. When Hannah arrived she immediately noticed a change in her boss' demeanor. Gone was giggly school girl Dr. Fowler and back was the dour face she was used to.

"Good morning Dr. Fowler." Hannah said to her.

"Good morning Hannah. And I have told you, call me Amy." She said.

"Okay, well Amy, you don't look yourself this morning. Did something happen?" Hannah was concerned. Usually her boss was chipper when it came to work. Today however she looked tired and worn out.

"Yes Hannah something did happen." Amy answered sadly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.

"Sheldon dumped me." She answered glumly.

"What happened? I thought you guys were getting along well." Hannah was shocked. Amy had been so happy all week and she really was looking forward to the lunch over at Caltech.

"We had a fight over our research. He felt his was way more important than ours. I knew he was proud of all he had accomplished but all through his tour he kept prefacing his statements with 'well since you are only a biologist you wouldn't understand'" mocking Sheldon's pompous tone.

"He didn't" Hannah was angry. If this guy really liked Amy why would he be so callous?

"He did and when I told him his research was cute he got all defensive."

"You told him his research was cute?" She laughed.

"Yeah well I needed to put him in his place." Amy said.

"What did he say to that?"

"He just refuted my statements with his and I did the same. In the end we decided we had reached an impasse." Amy said.

"And then what?" Hannah was really curious.

"I figured we would agree to disagree but he proposed that we terminate our relationship." Amy started to cry.

"Oh Amy, I am so sorry." Hannah was disappointed. She had seen Amy so happy and now so sad. She had no idea how to comfort her.

"Thank you. I just can't believe that I got dumped because of this. Why couldn't I just have conceded?" She was more talking to herself then Hannah.

"Why should you have? It sounds to me as if you are both passionate about your subject area." Hannah commented.

"We are." Amy said. "Now back to business. When do you think they will let us know we got the addiction study?"

"It should be anytime now." Hannah answered.

It was almost as if the head of their department had been reading their minds because he walked in with a big smile on his face.

"Good morning, Dr. Fowler, Ms. Robinson. How are doing this morning?"

"Good morning, Dr. Hernandez. I am fine." Amy said trying not to let on she was dying inside.

"Well I just thought I would come by and tell you the good news in person. You have been selected to work on the addiction study we have starting soon."

"Oh that is wonderful." Amy said perking up a bit.

"I trust you and Ms. Robinson will do well with this study. You will start with flatworms and have them get addicted to marijuana. Then we will move onto bigger animals and eventually we will go to Capuchin monkeys."

"I can't wait" Amy said.

"Me too." Hannah said.

"So you guys will start on Wednesday. Unfortunately we can't get the flatworms in until then. So if you guys would like a few days off…" Dr. Hernandez said to them.

"Oh no, just give me something else to do in the meantime. I mean is there something I can read to be able to start this study?" Amy asked. Amy did not want to sit at home and do nothing for two days. She would go stir crazy. She really hated taking vacations.

"I can give you an outline of addiction animals and maybe you can start a timeline of the amounts of the drug you will use and for how long." He said to her.

"That sounds good. Hannah, I have no problem if you would like to take the days off. I can make the timeline for us."

"If I can take Monday, I would be happy to be here Tuesday to help."

"Then it is settled." Dr. Hernandez said to them. "Have a great weekend ladies."

"Thank you, sir." They both said at the same time.

After he left, Amy turned to Hannah. "This is so exciting. I have been waiting for this study to start for two years now. The university has been working on that grant and I never thought we would get it."

"I know I really look forward to it as well."

"So shall we start our timeline now?" Amy asked. "Or we could just take the rest of the day and cleanup to get ready for our new arrivals."

"Let's cleanup and then maybe we can leave a bit early. Why don't I take you out tonight? I feel like you need a night out."

"You know what that sounds like fun." Amy said. Maybe she could become friends with Hannah. She was such a great listener.

"Great then it is settled." Hannah said.

The two of them spent the afternoon cleaning up the lab and making space for the flatworms. They left work about 3:30 and Amy headed home to get changed to go out.

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Sheldon went home early that afternoon,he actually took the bus home something he rarely did because he just hated it. Sheldon just couldn't stand being at work anymore. He tried to convince himself that he had acted in his best interests, that his decision to terminate his relationship with Amy had not been rash, but something in his gut told him otherwise. Leonard had refused to drive him home. He said his work was too important to cater to all of Sheldon whims. When he got home, he went straight to his room and locked the door.

Sheldon didn't want to talk to anyone the rest of the day. He couldn't believe the fight he had with Amy. Why couldn't she see his point of view? His field was so much more important and yet each and every point he made she fought back with a more intelligent answer. He was completely enamored at her drive. She was not backing down and neither was he. He had no choice but to end things with her. It wasn't easy but it was for the best he could not stand for her to question his intellect.

When the guys got back that night they didn't really speak about what they had witnessed at work that day. They went about their normal routine and ordered a pizza. Sheldon came out of his room to grab dinner but went right back in his room again without saying a word to anyone.

"This is not good." Leonard said to Raj and Howard.

"Why? He isn't talking or lecturing. That is always a good thing." Howard said.

"No I mean he really liked Amy. I know it was only a week but he lit up every time he would get a text or call from her. Last Sunday he was beaming from ear to ear after they Skped. This is not going to go well."

"They hardly knew each other." Raj commented.

"I know but he sent her a text every day. And he was always smiling even if she didn't reply." Leonard said. "I just don't think he is going to recover from this one as quickly as he did with Ramona."

"Oh come on, he was a mess for a while with Ramona." Howard said.

"No he really wasn't. He was more angry with himself for not seeing right through her. He liked her, don't get me wrong but he never looked at her the way I saw him look at Amy. And it's only been a little over a week." Leonard said.

"Oh. Well you don't think he will do anything rash, do you?" Raj asked.

"I don't think so." Leonard replied. "But you never know."

Sheldon didn't go to work on Friday which was very unusual for him. He spent the day in his room working on his whiteboards. He got next to no work done so he decided to peruse the internet. He went straight to Facebook and looked at Amy's page. She hadn't responded to his friend request but he did see she was now friends with all the others. What was the right thing to do in this situation? They had broken up so why should he be friends with her on Facebook. He didn't want anything to do with her, so why was this so hard for him? He took a look and saw that she had just posted that she was excited to have gotten the new addiction study. He saw that Penny had already liked it. He wanted to like it too but since he was not her friend he couldn't. He went to his requests and moved his mouse to cancel friend request but something in him couldn't do it.

_Dammit what has this woman done to me? _He thought. In his mind he had only known her for a little over a week. Why was he so heartbroken, finally admitting the truth to himself, that he was completely busted up over her. He had to figure out a way to get over her. He could not lock himself in his room and moon over some hotsy totsy from Glendale forever. He googled getting over breakups and the top suggestion was try to carry on like normal.

Only he was not in the mood for vintage video game night but pushed his way through. He had to appear strong in front of the guys, no one could know how wrecked he felt on the inside.

"Is everything alright Sheldon?" Raj asked when he was blasted out of the water for the 10th time that night.

"Yeah why?" Sheldon answered absently.

"Well you left yourself completely exposed and you don't seem to care."

"I assure you I am fine." He moved his character around and shooting at Raj's to illustrate his point.

"Have you heard from Amy?" Howard asked.

"Why would I? We ended our relationship. You guys were there. I don't expect to hear at all from her." Sheldon said wincing internally at the mention of her name.

"I heard she got the addiction study she was talking about last week." Raj said and Sheldon's head snapped to attention, he knew about the addiction study but wondered if he had any other information about her.

"How did you hear that?" Sheldon asked because he did not want everyone to know he had been stalking her Facebook page.

"She posted it on Facebook." Raj answered.

"So you are friends with her?" Sheldon asked ,thinking he would express his anger now with them about it now.

"Yeah why? I thought if you were going to be dating her we should try and get to know her. She actually just accepted my friendship request yesterday."

"Oh." Sheldon said. He figured she might have done this to spite him.

"Why would you still want to be friends with her?" Howard asked.

"Oh stop you know she accepted your friend request as well." Raj said to him. "And before you try to act all innocent Leonard…." But he cut him off.

"Thanks Raj, you couldn't leave him one friend." Leonard said.

"It's okay gentlemen. If you want to continue to be friends with her, I can't stop you. But do me a favor and not talk about her around me." Sheldon asked and made a strangled noise in his throat then he left the room. They heard the distinct sound of Enya playing in his room.

"Oh boy this isn't good." Leonard said looking down the hall.

"Why?" Raj asked.

"This is my go to music when I am sad. Sheldon hates music so if he is playing it then he is really far gone."

"Oh." Raj said. "Why don't we get going and you can talk to him."

"I am not going anywhere near him right now." Leonard said.

"Why?" Howard asked.

"Because he is mean when he is upset. I remember right after he dumped Ramona, he nearly bit my head off because I forgot to get milk right after work that day. But then the next day he was fine. Like I said he has been moody since I got home yesterday and he didn't go to work today. When was the last time Sheldon took a day off work?"

"Never unless for Star Wars day or Comic Con." Raj answered.

"Exactly."

"So are we worried he will do something?" Howard asked.

"No, I am just worried about him." Leonard said. "This has really hit him hard."

"Well I am sure he will bounce back in a few days." Howard said.

Howard and Raj left for the night. Leonard went to bed and didn't even bother to check on Sheldon. He thought he heard the distinct sound of crying but he wasn't sure. Sheldon wasn't one to cry but he had never really had his heart broken. He decided to let it go because he didn't think Sheldon wanted to talk.

The next morning, Leonard woke up early and found Sheldon had already left the apartment. He looked around but found no note indicating where he could have gone. So Leonard made his breakfast and sat down to watch television. Sheldon arrived back about an hour later with a box in his hand.

"What's that?" Leonard asked him.

"Oh just something I picked up at the pet store." Sheldon answered sounding in a much better mood.

"Did you get more fish?" Leonard asked remember the time he got fired and ended up making glow in the dark goldfish.

"No they would be in a bag of water." Sheldon replied.

"So what did you get?"

Sheldon opened the box and pulled out a black and white cat.

"You got a cat?" Leonard asked.

"Yes. Isn't he cute?" Sheldon asked.

"Yes but why did you get a cat?" Leonard asked.

"Because I wanted one." Sheldon said. "I think I will name him Robert Oppenheimer."

"Well that isn't ridiculous." Leonard commented, thinking about how Sheldon had reacted when he had suggested bringing home a cat a few years ago. Sargent Fuzzy Boots would have been a better name too.

"I know." Sheldon said.

"So out of curiosity, where do you plan on keeping this cat's supplies?" Leonard was worried. There was no place for a litter box in the apartment.

"In my room of course."

"Of course."

Sheldon began taking the cat everywhere he went. On Monday, he actually got out of bed and went to work bringing Robert Oppenheimer with him. At lunchtime Leonard made a beeline to the other two guys who were sitting in the cafeteria eating.

"I gotta tell you guys, I'm a little worried about Sheldon." Leonard said to them again.

"We're all a little worried about Sheldon." Howard said.

"No I mean since he split with Amy." Leonard said.

"Yes I know we discussed this on Friday. He is upset about this breakup, but what can we do."

"No I mean I think he really misses Amy."

"Of course he does, she was perfect for him." Raj said.

"He got a cat to keep him company." Leonard said.

"You're kidding?" Raj asked.

"He takes it everywhere: to bed, to the bathroom."

"He takes the kitty to the potty?" Raj asked.

"Potty, really?" Howard said incredulously.

"Don't try and change me dude." Raj looked at him. "I say potty."

Just then Sheldon walked over to the table carrying his new friend.

"Oh gentlemen." He said petting the cat and beaming at his friends.

"Hey, aren't you going to introduce us to your little friend?" Howard asked him.

"My apologies. Raj, Howard, I'd like you to meet Dr. Robert Oppenheimer."

"Hello." They both said awkwardly.

"Now if you'll excuse me, the father of the atomic bomb wants a saucer of milk." Sheldon said and walked away from the table.

Howard turned to Leonard and then said. "Okay I get. We're worried about Sheldon."

"Yeah." Leonard said. "So what can we do?"

"I have no idea. Maybe we can find him another date on that website." Howard suggested.

"No he's not ready for that." Leonard said. "I don't think he was ready for it this time either. Obviously that website was pretty accurate with Amy. Was there anyone else?"

"Actually no." Raj said. "Amy was it. And they were like 82% compatible. I think the only things that were different were their stance on dating websites and their fields of study. She thought they could be accurate, but after speaking with her I think it was her mom that answered that question. So they are probably closer to 90% compatible. To be honest I have never seen anyone get that high of a compatibility rating. Amy really was tailor made just for him."

"So what should we do?" Howard asked.

"I don't know. Let's wait and see what happens with this cat and then we can decide. He may tire of it and send it back where it came from." Leonard said.

The guys agreed to wait a week and see what happened. Unfortunately, that was going to prove to be too long a wait. Sheldon left work early again that day, telling Leonard he had to take Dr. Oppenheimer home because someone complained they were allergic to cats. Leonard was in the middle of an experiment so Sheldon once again was forced to take the bus.

When Leonard arrived home that evening, he found Sheldon sitting in his spot surrounded by cats of all different colors. He looked like a super villain surrounded by all those cats.

"Hey." He said upon entering and then saw the site before him. "Oh no."

"Robert Oppenheimer was lonely."

"So you decided to get the whole Manhattan Project?"

"Yes. This is Enrico Fermi, Richard Feynman, Edward Teller, Otto Frisch and Zazzles." Sheldon explained, introducing his new cats picking up a brown tabby.

"Zazzles?" Leonard questioned.

"I was going to name him Hermann von Helmholz, but he's so zazzy." Sheldon said holding him up to Leonard.

"Okay we need to talk." Leonard said to him taking a cat off the chair.

"About what?" Sheldon was confused.

"Cats, Sheldon." Leonard said. "You're clearly upset about Amy being gone, and you're trying to replace her with a bunch of cats."

"Clowder." Sheldon corrected avoiding the subject.

"What?" Leonard asked.

"A group of cats is a clowder, or a glaring."

"Okay, yeah, fine."

"It's the kind of thing you ought to know, now that we have one."

"Terrific. My-my point is you need to face up to what you're feeling with this breakup."

"But it wasn't really a breakup. A breakup would imply that Amy was my girlfriend. We had just started seeing each other." He told Leonard not looking at him. Leonard had no idea how he felt about Amy, how hard this was for him to face.

"Okay, I got it, I got it, she's not your girlfriend. But you wanted her to be." Sheldon was about to object but Leonard continued.

"Now listen to me. I know about loneliness. I know about trying to replace someone with other stuff. When I broke up with Penny, I got back into my cello, I built a bunch of model rockets, I got those weightlifting gloves and that five-pound dumbbell."

"You didn't break up, she dumped you." Sheldon said to him trying and succeeding to shift the attention off of himself and onto Leonard.

"She didn't dump me. It was mutual!"

"I was there. She dumped you." Sheldon disagreed.

"Okay, fine. Live with cats. Be like my Aunt Nancy. She had dozens of them. And do you know what happened after she died? They ate her."

"You don't have to sell me on cats, Leonard. I'm already a fan." Sheldon told Leonard thinking the way he was feeling right now he would welcome being eaten alive by cats. "All right, fellas, who's in the mood for Fancy Feast?" He opened the can and dumped it onto a plate. It wasn't very fancy. "Well, that's not fancy at all." He said to the cats.

Leonard left the apartment and went over to Penny's. He knocked and she let him in. She was on the phone. When she finished she looked at Leonard.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"Sheldon." Leonard answered.

"What did he do now?" She asked, knowing if Leonard was coming over to her place it must be pretty serious.

"He and Amy called it quits."

"Really, what happened?"

"I am not really sure. I think it is a case of two stubborn personalities not wanting to budge during an argument. Amy came to Caltech the other day for lunch and they had a fight about whose field was better. Neither gave an inch when it came to defending their subject area and next thing we knew Sheldon was terminating their relationship."

"Oh well that's sad. Amy was perfect for him. She was a bit quirky but I actually thought she had some very interesting qualities. I could see being good friends with her. Wow, never thought I would say that."

"Why is that?" Leonard was curious.

"In high school, I would have picked on someone like Amy because she was so nerdy. But now I see these things in a whole different light. I guess that is thanks to you guys. So how is Sheldon handling this breakup?"

"Spectacularly bad, the worse I have ever seen."

"How so, what is he doing?" Penny asked.

"Well first he skipped work on Friday."

"Really?" Penny knew how serious he was about work and proper attendance.

"Yes and then he bought a bunch of cats. There has to be at least 25 in my apartment."

"You're kidding." She laughed.

"It's not funny. There are cats everywhere. I am afraid they will trigger my asthma. 1 or 2 I could handle but not 25. I am really worried about Sheldon."

"Well what should we do?" Penny asked.

"I'll call the guys. Maybe they can come over and we can decide from there. We could really use your advice too."

"Let me go talk to Sheldon and see if I can maybe find out what is triggering this reaction. Then I will have a better idea of what to do."

"Okay but let me warn you, he may not be receptive to what you have to say."

"I think I can handle him."

"Good luck." Leonard told her as she left her apartment. He made the calls to Raj and Howard.

Penny went over to the guys apartment and knocked. Sheldon yelled for her to come in.

"Oh hello Penny. If you are looking for Leonard he just left a few minutes ago."

"Actually I just saw Leonard and he told me you and Amy broke up."

"We decided to stop seeing each other yes. But I don't understand why that would require you to come over here."

"Oh well Leonard was worried about you and so am I. Breakups can be hard. I have seen how you have handled it in the past and I can see from this lovely group of cats eating off this dish you are handling this one very well."

"I assure you I am fine. Amy and I had just begun seeing each other. I can live without her."

"Yes then why all the cats? She asked him gesturing to the cats surrounding the room.

"Because cats make great companions." He answered picking up one of the cats and stroking it absently. Thinking how the cats glossy brown fur and shiny green eyes reminded him of Amy. How everything right now was reminding him of Amy.

"Well okay then, I am glad to see you are doing alright." She said to him he was breaking her heart. She could see how broken up he was. Even if he was in denial about his feelings, she knew how bad off he was.

"I am." He said not sounding fine at all.

"Well then goodbye."

"Goodbye Penny."

She made her way back to her apartment where Raj and Howard were already there.

"Wow you guys got here fast." She said to them.

"We were already on our way for dinner." Howard said.

"So what do you think?" Leonard asked.

"He is in complete denial about missing her." Penny said. "He is using the cats as a coping mechanism."

"Cats?" Howard asked. "I thought he had one cat."

"Oh no, it's more like 25 now." Leonard said.

"When the hell did that happen?" Howard asked.

"Today. I got home from work and he had them surrounding him."

Raj whispered something in Howard's ear.

"I think you may be right." Howard said to him.

"What?" Penny asked.

"This may be a job that is too big for us. It may be time to call in the big guns." Howard said.

"Do you mean who I think you mean?" Penny asked.

"Raj is right, it is time we call her." Leonard said. "Who wants to do the honors?"

"You're his roommate, you call her." Howard said.

"Fine." Leonard said. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through the contacts until he found the one he was looking for. He dialed the number. It rang a few times before a female voice picked up on the other end.

"Hello?" She said to Leonard.

"Hi Mrs. Cooper, it's Leonard. Sheldon is in trouble and we need your help." Leonard said to her.

**So Mary Cooper will be joining us in the next chapter...how will she get these two kids back together?**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed this story. I think I thanked everyone I could personally. If not, know I love each and everyone of you.**

**So yes Mary Cooper is coming to town to get these two crazy kids back together. I am doing this a bit different then it was shown in the actual episode because again, I think we need Amy's thought on things as well. It will go back and forth until the end. Enjoy!**

**Thanks to Boys3allC for helping me write Mary with a bit more southern flare. You are awesome!**

**I wish I owned these guys but sadly I don't:**

"_Fine." Leonard said. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through the contacts until he found the one he was looking for. He dialed the number. It rang a few times before a female voice picked up on the other end._

"_Hello?" She said to Leonard._

"_Hi Mrs. Cooper, it's Leonard. Sheldon is in trouble and we need your help." Leonard said to her._

"What kind of a mess has he gotten himself into this time?" Mary Cooper asked Leonard warily, never surprised by much when it came to her eccentric son.

"He broke up with his girlfriend." Leonard told her outright. He wasn't sure how much Sheldon's mother knew of his past with women but it was easier than lying to her.

"His what honey? Sheldon has a lady friend? Why am I just hearing about this now?" Mary asked him. Sheldon was private but something like a girlfriend she though he might have mentioned.

"Well to be honest they just started seeing each other about two weeks ago."

"And he broke up with her?" Mary clarified.

"Yes."

"So sugar, what is the problem?" Not seeing the problem, when he said girlfriend she thought it had been going on awhile. This sounded more like a little fling, hardly worth her notice.

"Well Sheldon seems to have fallen hard for this girl and he isn't taking the break up well."

"So you want me to do what exactly?"

"Talk some sense into him, give him a hug, I don't know, anything. You usually can say the right things to him to make him understand it isn't all that bad. Remember when you got him his job back?"

"Yes. Well seeing as I don't have anything big planned this week, I guess I can come on out to California and see what my little Shelly has gotten himself into this time. I should be able to be there tomorrow. In the meantime don't spook him. You have to take your time with Sheldon."

"Yes I learned the hard way the last time." Leonard said. "Thank you Mrs. Cooper, we will see you tomorrow."

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"Okay Leonard goodnight." Mary said to him. Mary hung up the phone and turned to the people in the room.

"Did I just hear right, Mama? Our Shelly has a girlfriend?" Missy asked her mother. She knew he had been with girls, but it had been almost a decade since they heard of him having a girlfriend.

"Had a girlfriend apparently, from the sound of called because he is mighty worried about him. Leonard tells me He is not taking this breakup well." Mary said to her. "I am going to fly out tomorrow and see if I can straighten him out."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Missy asked thinking she could make him feel better.

"No you stay here. I can handle Sheldon." Mary told her, knowing if Missy tagged along it will feel like an ambush to her skittish son.

"Oh I hope it isn't as bad as after Heidi." Missy said shaking her head sadly, thinking about how broken he had been after that went south.

"Me too." Mary said hoping that it was not that bad. After only two weeks it couldn't be.

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Leonard hung up the phone and looked at the group relieved.

"His mother will be here tomorrow." He said to them.

"Good." Penny said. "We probably shouldn't tell him."

"Of course not. He may run." Leonard said.

"Well we should probably go over there so he doesn't get suspicious." Howard said.

"You are probably right, however guys, be warned, there are a lot of cats." Leonard said.

"Cats don't bother me." Howard commented. Raj nodded his head in agreement.

The guys went over to the apartment to have their Monday night Thai food. Sheldon came out of his room followed by his little herd of cats. No one said anything to him about it. They just ate in silence and left after the meal was over making up some excuse not to stay.

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Amy had a very unproductive weekend, a lonely heart makes poor company. Amy had a nice time with Hannah on Friday evening, even trying her first glass of wine. She didn't think it was half bad and could understand why people liked it with their meals. On Saturday she tried her best to ignore the phone calls from her mother and succeeded until she heard the voicemail her mother left which stated clearly she would come to her house if she didn't call by noon the next day. So she decided to wait until Sunday at 11:30 to call.

"Amy Farrah Fowler, you better have a valid excuse not to have called me back yesterday." Her mother yelled at her.

"I didn't feel like talking to you." Amy said to her.

"Why?" Her mom asked. "What's wrong?"

"Sheldon and I are no longer seeing each other." She said plainly.

"What?!" Amy what happened? I thought you were getting along great." She was shocked. Amy had been so happy earlier in the week.

"When I went to his lab the other day we had a disagreement about our respective fields. He was a bit arrogant and he kept telling me I wouldn't understand because I was just a biologist."

"He didn't." Her mom said.

"Yes he did, so I called him out. I told him for theoretical work his research was cute."

"Oh Amy…."

"Well he didn't like that at all and we kept refuting each other's arguments and it finally ended. He said we reached an impasse to which I agreed. Honestly mom I thought we would agree to disagree but he moved we terminate the relationship. What could I say? You're wrong this is supposed to be."

"You didn't fight it?" She asked.

"Fight what? I told him I wasn't comfortable with physical contact. He wanted more than me. He will find someone who is comfortable with the physical side of a relationship and be very happy."

"Amy you could become comfortable with physical contact."

"But mom I don't want that." She was both lying to her mother and herself. She didn't want to tell her mom just how much she wanted to be with Sheldon.

"Yes you do, you just haven't found the right man to make you want it."

"I don't know if there is someone out there for me, and to that fact, I think I have done more than meet my obligation for the next couple of years in regards to dating. And I have bought my own George Forman grill so you can't hold that over me." Amy said sniffling on the verge of tears. She had done it, put herself out there like her mother said and her heart had been trampled, it was far easier to be alone,

"Amy…." Her mother wheedled.

"No mom, I am done with dating." She said with an air of finality.

"Alright I won't bug you for a while but don't give up."

"I don't know." Amy said. "I gotta go mom. I will call you next week."

"Okay, listen, give it time, maybe Sheldon will come around to your point of view or realize he overreacted. Or maybe you will realize you overreacted." She said to her.

"I doubt it but I guess we can hope." She allowed herself to think for the first time that she may have overreacted to his remarks.

"That's the spirit." Her mom said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye mom." Amy said and hung up. She felt a little better after talking to her.

Monday morning, she went to work and began her timeline for the addiction study. She figured out that if she could work with the flatworms for two months then work her way up, she would be at the monkeys within six months. She really was looking forward to working with the Capuchins. When she arrived at work on Tuesday, Hannah was looking over the schedule Amy had made.

"This looks great. I guess there isn't much for me to do today." Hannah said admiring Amy's precise schedule.

"Well we still haven't been told what animals would be in between the flatworms and Capuchins."

"So we aren't sure what we are getting them addicted to as well."

"Exactly. But it will be fun anyway." Amy smiled. Hannah could see her smile was forced.

"So how was the rest of your weekend? Did you hear from Sheldon?" Hannah asked hopefully. After speaking with her on Friday she was certain this break up was just a misunderstanding and that Sheldon would be chasing after her in no time.

"It was not very productive." Amy admitted, thinking of the weekend and how she spent it moping on the couch watching old French movies."And no he hasn't attempted to call me at all. I did speak with Penny briefly and she said he wasn't doing well. But what am I supposed to do about it? Do you think I should call him? What are the social protocols in this type of situation? I mean he chose to terminate the relationship. Isn't the burden on him?."

"Exactly, If I were you I would not call him." Hannah said. "Make him come to you." As if by magic, Amy's phone rang. She looked at the number and recognized it as Sheldon's home number. She looked up at Hannah shocked.

"It's him." She said to Hannah, holding the phone out to show her.

"Answer it." Hannah said waving her arms at her.

"Hello." Amy said tentatively, her heart thudding in her chest, both fearing and looking forward to the sound of his voice.

Hannah listened in to the conversation, trying to figure out what was going on. Amy just kept saying yes and no with a few okays thrown in not exactly telling to the to tone of the conversation. Hannah desperately wanted to know what they were talking about. Then she heard agree to meet at four that afternoon. Hannah was excited for Amy and hoped this meant a reconciliation was in the works. It seemed as if Sheldon came around. Maybe Amy would get all giddy again. She was so much more fun that way.

"So what did he say?" Hannah questioned practically bouncing up and down the moment Amy hung up the phone.

"It wasn't Sheldon." Amy said looking stoic" It was his mother. She wants to meet me."

"Oh." Hannah said. "Why would his mother want to meet you?" She thought that was odd. Usually a mother did not want to meet someone their son has just broken up with.

" The bigger question is why she is in California?" Seeing Hannah's confused looked she added. "She lives in Texas."

"Why would his mother fly out from Texas to meet the girl he just broke up with?"

"I don't know but I agreed to meet her at 4:00 at his apartment. She assured me Sheldon wouldn't be back until 6:00."

"So what do you think she wants?"

"I have no idea. Let's not worry about that now." She said not wanting to worry about it anymore. Dwelling on the reason why and all the possible scenarios would only cause her to be even more unproductive. The best thing to do would be to carry on with her research as business as usual.

They spent the rest of the day cleaning and tweaking the schedule for the next few months. Amy left work at 3:15 so she could head over to Sheldon's apartment. She arrived just before four and tentatively knocked on the door her stomach churning. She was greeted a few minutes later by a tall warm looking woman who was smiling at her.

"You must be Amy." Mary Cooper said to her in greeting. "I'm Mary Cooper, Sheldon's mother, come on in and let's have a chat."

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_Earlier in the day_:

Mary Cooper was able to get an early morning flight on Tuesday. She would arrive in Pasadena around 8:00am their time. She would make her way to the apartment and find out what exactly was going on with her son. She had a feeling she knew but didn't want to alarm Leonard by telling him what he was doing was perfectly normal.

Leonard answered the door and greeted her.

"Hi, Mrs. Cooper. Thanks for coming."

"Where is he?" Mary Cooper asked looking around for him.

"He's in his bedroom." Leonard answered her.

"Now, when you said on the phone he broke up with a girl, you meant an actual girl, not something you kids whipped up in a lab?" She asked worried. Last Christmas he had gone into great detail about the robot girlfriend his friend Howard was developing. She needed to be sure what to expect. If this was a real girl, he probably already owned ten of his latest obsession.

"No, she's real."

"Did they sin?" Depending on how far the relationship went would give her an idea how how deep into his obsession he might be.

"Um..." Leonard started, unsure about how much his mother knew about his sex life and not wanting to be the one to tell her about it.

"Oh honey, I know my boy is not a virgin, if that is what you are afraid of telling me. I know about Heidi in Germany and Leslie. He was very upset about her using him."

"Oh okay, no they hadn't. They've only known each other two weeks." Leonard answered her.

"He got a bit carried away with Leslie so you never know." Mary said to her.

"Well she told him she was not ready for a relationship like that. She told him she was a virgin. Sheldon was fine with it. He told me he was willing to wait for her." Leonard said. It was obvious Sheldon had not told his mother about Martha who he also had a one night stand with. He figured it was better that she not know about her.

"Oh wow, this is serious." Mary said.

"Yeah about that, there is something I need to warn you about before we go in his room." Leonard said.

"What did he buy now?" She asked him.

"Wait what? You knew about this?" Leonard asked.

"Well if his past is any indication then yes I know."

"What do you mean his past?" Leonard was curious.

"Here come sit down for a minute." Mary said to him. They made their way to the couch and sat down. Then she started to tell the story. "When Sheldon was three, he had a really good friend who lived next door to us. Pretty little girl, with long dark hair always done up in pigtails. Her name was Samantha and them two were thick as thieves."

"Wait Sheldon had a girlfriend when he was three?" Leonard asked.

"Well they were very good friends. I mean they were three, weren't like they were sneaking off to the barn together at that age. I know he remembers her with that memory of his but he doesn't know all the details of what happened."

"What happened?" Leonard asked.

"Sheldon was a very bright young child and so was Samantha. They were like peas in a pod they were so much alike. They would read together, do math problems together and actually play outside together."

"Sheldon mentioned once that the only other best friend he had ever had he had to stop playing with him when he was four." Leonard said to her.

"He did because that was the summer Samantha and her mother moved. Shelly never heard from her again. After that, it was like he had broken his tender little heart."

"Oh, why, did he never hear from her again?"

"Well Samantha's mother was in a very bad marriage and she decided to leave Samantha's father. He was very abusive toward her mother and sometimes Samantha's older brother. So one night when he was at work, she packed her bags and left. Sheldon didn't even get a chance to say goodbye."

"Oh that is so sad."

"It was. When Sheldon woke up the next morning, she was gone. We told him that she had to leave because she was being put in a special school. Shelly was too young to understand what really happened. Even if we had tried to explain it to him he was liable to try and build some sort of death ray contraption and go vaporize her father with it. Sheldon desperately wanted to go to that school, but we told him it was in another state and that we couldn't leave for him to go. Sheldon was not happy about it at all. And of course, Samantha couldn't write and tell him anything as they were hiding from her father."

"Oh wow."

"Yeah so Sheldon was so sad that George decided he needed something to take his mind off things so he got him a train. Sheldon was ecstatic about it. He and George played all day and night with that thing. Sheldon then decided he wanted to get a whole set and of course George got it for him. He began to slowly forget about Samantha. When Sheldon's Pop Pop died we got him Lincoln logs from Santa hoping that would help him but it didn't work because, unknown to us, he had asked Santa to bring his Pop Pop back. Well obviously Santa couldn't deliver that gift and Lincoln logs couldn't build him a new Pop Pop. He hated Santa after that. His Meemaw, however, bought him his very first comic book and that is where that obsession started. He read and read and read. It was amazing. He fell in love with all of the superheroes and he and Meemaw enjoyed that together. It was special for him since Pop Pop had died. They were in their own little world. That is why he is so close to her. He never really enjoyed Christmas after that one but he loved superheroes."

"Oh really? I didn't know that. It makes sense now."

"So when he gets upset about something, he tends to buy things to replace his hurt. When he came back from Germany, he bought his first action figure. Then he bought more and more that summer. His room was full of them. And he never opened them or played with them. He told us they were collectibles. So now tell me, what has he gone and bought this time."

"Oh you will see." Leonard told her and got up to go to his room. He knocked on the door.

"Come in." Sheldon said from the other side of the door. Mary walked in to the clowder of cats.

"Surprise." Leonard said to her.

"Mom, what an unexpected pleasure." Sheldon said. He had no idea why she was there.

Mary was taking in the site around her and then got a whiff of the air. "My, my, that's a powerful smell." She said to him.

"I'd like you to meet Oppenheimer, Frisch, Panofsky, Feynman, Weisskopf…" Sheldon said introducing her to his cats.

"Yeah, I get it. You got a lot of cats and you gave 'em cute Jewish names." She said to him.

"What are you doing here?" Sheldon asked her a little less excited.

"Leonard called, and he said that you were pining for a young lady." She replied.

"Oh, that's preposterous. I'm not pining over anyone." Sheldon said incredulously. He wanted to curse Leonard for spilling the beans and tattling on him. What was his mother going to do about him losing Amy? Unless she owned a time machine and then he could go back and take back all the things he had said to her.

"Oh Sheldon we have to talk." Mary said. "This is getting out of hand. Remember Heidi?" Sheldon looked up at her steely eyes, she knew he did not like talking about her.

"I do and I didn't do anything out of the ordinary." He said.

"Really then why do I have an attic full of action figures? Not to mention the comic books and trains." She asked ticking off his laundry list of obsessions on her fingers.

"They are collectibles. They will be worth money someday." Sheldon told her defending himself.

"Okay well, cats aren't collectable and do not accrue in value, sugar. Also when you are done with them I ain't storing them up in my attic. So whatever the reason is this is a bit creepy." Mary said to him.

Sheldon disagreed. "I don't think it is creepy. Cats make wonderful companions. They don't argue or question my intellectual authority, and this little guy here, I think you'll find to be quite zazzy." He said holding up Zazzles.

Mary looked at Leonard. "You should have called sooner." She closed the door and walked back out to the living room.

"This only just happened yesterday, he called off from work on Friday then he got he got the first cat on Saturday. He bought the others yesterday. I don't know what's going on, he didn't do this with Ramona."

"Who's Ramona?" Mary asked.

"His ex-girlfriend from a couple of years ago. He just moped for a day or two then got back on with his life." Leonard said

.

"This is serious. Shelly only does this when he is truly broken up . What exactly happened with these two? Tell me everything. What was her name?"

"Amy. Well they met because Howard and Raj put all his information into a dating website and it matched him with her."

"And he went on a date with her? I can't believe he would even believe in those types of things."

"He doesn't. Raj somehow got him to go." Leonard did not want to tell his mother about Sheldon's collection or that he had been blackmailed by them.

"So when was this?" Mary asked.

"About two weeks ago. They met at a coffee shop and then he brought her back to the apartment the first date."

"And you are sure they didn't sin?" Mary asked again.

"No. They had tea and talked well into the night. He even missed laundry night because of it."

"Oh she must be very special then, Shelly doesn't fuss around with his schedule for just anybody."

"I have to say, she is very similar to him. I could see why they were paired together." Leonard said.

"So then they started dating?"

"Well seeing each other. She didn't want any kind of commitment. Apparently she told him she was not interested in any kind of a physical relationship and he was okay with that."

"That is the young man I raised. Not wanting to jump right into bed with someone. I knew he existed."

"Yes well anyway they saw each other four times in the first week and then he brought her to work last Thursday to show her his research."

"Yep she is special. My Shelly is mighty secretive when it comes to his work. He once booby trapped his bedroom to keep out spies. Course all he accomplished was wrapping me up in a net when I went to get his laundry"

"So anyway when they got to lunch, she basically told him his research was not nearly as important as hers and then they had a huge disagreement."

"And that is what broke them up?" Mary questioned. She couldn't see Sheldon letting someone go because they didn't agree on their fields of study.

"Well she was pretty arrogant about her Biology."

"Like Sheldon isn't about his Physics." Mary commented.

"You are right, he was just as arrogant. I thought they would agree to disagree but then he decided to go ahead and terminate their relationship."

"He ended it? Not her?" She asked.

"Yep he said they had reached an impasse, she agreed and then he said let's end it."

"She agreed?"

"You were not there, she did not have much of a choice, he was very serious." Leonard said.

"Well I must meet this woman that has my son's heart in a knot. Let me tell you something, if what you said is true, Sheldon is already in deep with this girl or he never would have ended it so abruptly. He doesn't control his emotions well. This girl sounds like she can give him a run for his money and he saw it. He can be very intuitive sometimes when it comes to that kind of thing. That was why he and Samantha got along so well together. She wouldn't put up with his antics, even at three."

"Well Amy didn't put up with his arrogance either."

"Sounds like my kind of girl." Mary said. "So do you happen to have this girl's phone number?" She asked.

"No but I think Penny may have it." Leonard told her.

They went over to her apartment and Penny was more than happy to give her the number. Mary went back to the guy's apartment and called it right away. Amy answered after a few rings.

"Hello?" Amy said sounding nervously and hopeful

"Is this Amy?" Mary said to her.

"Yes." She answered and Mary can just tell that she d been hoping that it was Sheldon calling her.

"This is Mary Cooper, Sheldon's mother."

"Okay." Amy replied bluntly

"You were seeing my son yes?"

"Yes."

"And you guys broke up?"

"Yes." Amy said sadly.

"Are you happy about that?"

"No." She answered honestly.

"Do you have any idea why he wanted to end things?"

"Not really."

"Well I think I might have an idea. Do you think you could come over here at around four today?"

"I suppose." She answered a bit wearily.

"Oh don't worry; I will make sure Shelly is out of the apartment. So can you come?"

"Yes."

"Alright then I will see you at 4:00. Goodbye Amy."

"Goodbye." Amy said.

Leonard came back from Penny's apartment.

"Amy is coming over at 4:00; do you think you could get Sheldon out of the apartment for a couple of hours?"

"I can try." Leonard answered.

"Great." Mary said. "Now I want to make him fried chicken for dinner. That always makes him feel great. Do you have anything for me to make it?"

"No, I can't say we do." Leonard replied.

"Okay well then I will go to the store and you come up with a plan to get Sheldon out of the apartment."

"Well we do have to work." Leonard said looking at the clock. "If I get him in by 10, he probably will want to work until 6:00."

"Perfect. I will meet Amy then we will have dinner. If I know my son, he will not be happy if he knows I have invited her over. Please don't tell him."

"Please don't tell me what?" Sheldon said coming out of his room ready for work.

"Oh um, I was going to surprise you with dinner tonight but you caught me." Mary said to him.

"Fried chicken and pecan pie?" Sheldon said hopefully.

"Yes Shelly. So now you guys get going to work and don't worry about me. I will get all the ingredients and make you the best dinner."

"Oh Leonard you are in for a treat. Mom makes the best chicken." Sheldon said excited.

"I can't wait, Give me twenty minutes and I will be ready."

"Oh Leonard we will be late. I guess I will have to work until 6:00 tonight."

"That's perfect. I want to get a nap anyway so it will work out." Mary said.

Twenty minutes later, the two made their way to work. Mary went over to Penny's and asked if she could give her a ride to the store. Penny was more than happy to and the women went and picked up all the ingredients that Mary needed to make dinner. When they got home, Mary fed the twenty-five cats and then lay down to take a nap. She woke up about 3:30 and fixed herself up and put the cats away so she could meet Amy at 4:00. She figured if this woman was so much like Sheldon she would be there at exactly four. She was not wrong when she heard a tentative knock at 4:00. She opened the door and was greeted by a petite sensibly dressed dark haired girl.

"You must be Amy." Mary Cooper said to her in greeting. "I'm Mary Cooper, Sheldon's mother, come on in and let's have a chat."

"Hello, Mrs. Cooper. It is nice to meet you." Amy said sticking out her hand.

"Oh please, call me Mary." Mary said to her.

"Okay Mary. I am a little confused as to why you asked me here." Amy said to her going over to the couch and sitting on the middle cushion. Mary sat down next to her and turned to face her.

"Oh well honey, I want to get to know my son's girlfriend." Mary says patting her on the knee

"Mary, I am not sure what you heard, but Sheldon is not my boyfriend. He never was. We were just seeing each other and he ended it the other day." Amy said. But Mary was not fooled. She could see that this girl was just as crazy over her boy as he was over her.

"I know, Leonard told me. But I have also seen my son and let me tell you he did not want this to end." Mary tells her gravely

"Then why did he end it?" Amy was curious.

"My son is very stubborn, Shelly likes things done his way and well when they don't go quite his way he gets upset. Stubborn and passionate a lot like his daddy, my late husband was."

"I can tell you that is true."

"So if he can't argue his way through something he lets it go. See sugar, in Shelly's mind you were telling him he was not smart enough. Even though we both know that is just not true, you made him feel stupid. Honey let me tell you feeling stupid is not something Shelly has had the opportunity to feel like very often. "

"I see. So you are saying that since he could not refute my arguments, he decided he couldn't keep seeing me?"

"That is what I said."

"Well I must tell you that he is very arrogant. He refused to see my side of the argument. He kept telling me all day that I would not understand because I was just a biologist. I understood most of the things he was saying. But he just assumed I didn't. So I let him know my field was more important. He kept disagreeing and finding new ways to insult biology."

"Let me ask you something. Did you listen to him or just argue as well?" Mary asked.

"I guess I argued back." Amy said a bit embarrassed with her behavior.

"Listen, I don't blame you. Sheldon can be very stubborn. But I always tell people this, you have to take your time with Sheldon. If you spook him, he will run."

"So are you saying I scared him?"

"That is exactly what I am saying. You scared my poor boy witless. Shelly was scared you had the power to make him feel dumb and that you had the power to make him care about it. Now let me tell you something else, that might scare you, he likes you. His feelings for you are awfully powerful. So much so that while he has been trying to mend his broken heart over you, he has bought about twenty five cats just to replace you. The boy is losing his mind over you."

"Oh as a neurobiologist I have to tell you there is no way he is losing his mind because of me. It is physically impossible. There are too many factors to make a person lose their mind. But breaking up with someone does not make that happen." Amy told her matter of factly, although very pleased by his mothers conclusion of events.

"Oh well of course." Mary said. _Wow._ _This woman really is like Sheldon._ Mary thought.

"So Mary, what would you like me to do?" Amy asked, her tone stoic but her eyes pleading for answers.

"Stay for dinner and let me take care of it."

"I guess I could do that."

"So tell me a bit about yourself." Mary said to Amy.

Amy began to talk about herself. She told Mary about her childhood, her job and all her hobbies. Mary had no idea what Amy was talking about most of the time and she could see more and more what Sheldon saw in this girl. God himself could not have crafted a better match between two people. It is not often that you have the opportunity to meet someone who could be your soul mate. Mary knew that this girl was her son's. She would move heaven and earth to get these two back together. She knew exactly how she was going to accomplish that task.

At 6:00, Leonard and Sheldon arrived home from work. Sheldon could smell the chicken frying all the way up the stairs and he was so excited to have it for dinner.

"Boy Leonard it sure smells good." He said as he unlocked the door to the apartment.

"It really does. I can't wait to eat it." Leonard agreed.

As Sheldon opened the door he was acknowledging his mom.

"Hi mom we are home…." But he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Amy sitting in the center of his couch. "What is she doing here?" He asked his mother angrily, even if seeing her there was making his stomach do happy flips.

"I called her." His mother answered calmly.

"Your mother thinks you might be losing your mind over me. As a neurobiologist, I was curious." Amy said almost laughing since she had just told Mary it was impossible.

"Well, rest assured, I am in full possession of my faculties." Sheldon said matter-of-factly staring at her almost thinking her to be like a mirage.

Leonard pretended to sneeze. "25 cats!" He blurted out.

"Oh, God bless you, dear. Sheldon, sit down. Let's talk." Mary said to Sheldon. So he went to sit in his spot next to Amy.

Sheldon knew exactly what that meant so he said to her, "All right, but you're not fooling me. Whenever you say we have to talk, it means you want me to listen."

His mother was annoyed. "Then stop talking." She barked at him.

"Yes, ma'am." Sheldon said meekly folding his hands in his lap.

"Now, the reason I called Amy over was to find out what type of person she is. And after chatting a bit, I have to say that while she is a perfectly unique young woman, you two are definitely not suited for each other." Mary said. She knew this would make him angry. She always knew how to handle her children. If you tell them what they don't want to hear then they will do the exact opposite.

Sheldon was perplexed. "That's a peculiar conclusion. By any standard, Amy is more similar to me than anyone I've ever met." He said looking over at Amy and she ducked her head and blushed.

Mary could see her plan was working perfectly. "Oh, I'm sorry, Shelly, I can't see it."

Sheldon was incensed. "Well, whether you see it or not is irrelevant. I can't see subatomic particles, but nevertheless, they're there."

"Excellent point." Amy said to him.

"A physics point." Sheldon pointed out to her.

"Touché." Amy said. _Damn._ She thought. _I almost made it without conceding._

Mary was witnessing them starting to get along again and was afraid Sheldon would begin another fight. "Well, putting aside the pig Latin, it's a good thing that you two decided to end the relationship so I didn't have to end it for you." She was sure that would drive the point home to him.

Sheldon saw right through his mother's antics, but decided to play along for her sake. "Amy, after consideration, I believe we may have acted rashly. I propose we resume our relationship and attempt to resolve our differences."

"I'll agree to that only if you'll stipulate that 80% of our difficulties were caused by you." Amy knew what Mary was trying to do as well and she was not going to let Sheldon get away that easily.

"I'll go as high as 40." Sheldon said.

It didn't surprise Amy that Sheldon was not going to take the majority of the blame. He did start the argument and was not going less than 50%. "Sixty-five." She said.

"Done." Sheldon knew to not push his luck. She wanted to go out with him again and he was thrilled. He continued to talk to her. "You understand that moving forward, we deal with my very obvious mother and her troublesome meddling into my life?" Mary looked at Sheldon who was smiling at her. She was confused.

"You mean the fact that she totally tried reverse psychology on us?" Amy asked, smiling back at him .

"Exactly." Sheldon answered. "You realize she may say she doesn't approve but she really does like you?"

"I think I can handle that because I kind of like her too." Amy said.

"Was I really that dang obvious?" Mary asked.

"Mom, you have been doing this to me all my life. My brother and sister may not get it, but I am a genius. I think I know a bit about psychology. Of course probably not as much as Amy."

"That is true." Amy said pleased by his compliment.

"Oh well I tried. But you are still going to keep seeing each other right? Resume your odd little courtship where it left off" Mary asked.

"Actually, no mother." Sheldon began, turning to look at Amy. Mary interrupted him.

"You aren't going to break up again? Come on Sheldon."

"Mom, no I am not going to break up with her. I actually want to ask her a question." Sheldon said to her not taking his eyes off of Amy. Tentatively he grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"What is that?" Amy asked breathless by the way his intense blue eyes are fixed on her makes her weak in the knees.

"Well I was wondering if you would like to change the paradigm of our relationship?" he asked her softly turning her hand over in his palm.

"What do you mean?" Amy was nervous. She knew what a paradigm shift meant in relationship to her work. How did a paradigm shift work in relationships? He could be suggesting anything.

"I was wondering if you would want to be my girlfriend?" He asked, the words leaving his mouth for the first time ever. Heidi had been his girlfriend but he had never asked her. They sort of just happened.

"So I would be…." Amy began her heart beating against her chest so loudly she was sure he had heard it. Sheldon cut her off.

"Would be only one I would be seeing. I mean, I was not seeing anyone else anyway. Oh and that would go for you to you can't go out with anyone else. Tell your mom you have a boyfriend. Well that is if you agree. I could write up an agreement outlining all the parameters" Sheldon was blabbering worried that Amy still had not answered him.

"Ask me again." She said softly wanting her hear the words on his lips one more is the first time anyone has wanted to be her boyfriend and she wants to hear it being said again.

"What?" Sheldon asked. He is not one for liking to repeat himself. She knew what he had asked.

"Ask me again." She said more forcefully tilting her head to the side.

"You're being impossible." Sheldon said biting his lip and shaking his head at her.

"Well maybe I will tell my mom to set me up with…"

"Fine." He said giving in to her, she held his heart in the palm of her hands. "Amy, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked again looking steadily into her eyes.

"Yes." She answered as she wraps her arms around Sheldon's back and pulled him in close for a hug. Sheldon hugged her back wrapping his hands tightly around her back holding her as close as decorum in front of his mother will allow. He bent his head down low to sniff her hair. She smelled so good, it was only a few days he went without her and it felt like a year. Finally they let each other go and smiled at each other.

"Would you like to go see my cats in my bedroom?" he asked Amy after he let her go.

"Oh I love cats, they are the epitome of indifference." Amy said excitedly and they get up and walk into Sheldon's bedroom and shut the door.

"I told you I could get these two kids back together." Mary whispered to Leonard.

"Yeah ,you worked your magic. Now who knows whats going to happen. He might never let her go again." Leonard sniggered.

"Well honey would you rather have her in his bedroom or twenty five cats?" Mary asked him.

"I guess only time will answer that question." Leonard said warily.

**A/N: Okay so now that they are official I will move the story along a bit faster...I think a trip to Big Sur is coming up as well as some jealously on one of them...who will it be? Oh and remember the negotiations for cuddling? That may take a turn into M ratings...**

**Reviews help me write faster...**


	13. Chapter 13

**_A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews and follows I have received. I know I have thanked so many of you personally but some guests who don't leave their name I also want to know I appreciate the reviews. _**

**_Thanks to everyone who enjoyed how I have moved these two along. I am going to be skipping ahead a few months now that these two are back together. I want to get to the good stuff. I have decided to take one of my favorite episodes, Love Car Displacement and change it a bit to be more about Sheldon and Amy. So I hope you enjoy. And since Amy and Sheldon have been dating now for a few months, I thought it more feasible that she and Penny would be getting along a bit better than just acquaintances. _**

**_As always I have to thank Boys3allC for your help with dialogue and thoughts. You are truly appreciated. _**

**_Okay I don't own any of this..._**

_"Would you like to go see my cats in my bedroom?" he asked Amy after he let her go._

"_Oh I love cats; they are the epitome of indifference." Amy said excitedly and they get up and walk into Sheldon's bedroom and shut the door._

When they got back to the room, Amy got an eyeful of cats. She had been warned but she honestly thought the description had been an exaggeration. Yet in his room were twenty-five cats milling around.

"Wow Leonard wasn't kidding when he said twenty-five now was he?" Amy laughed. "Maybe you were losing your mind."

"I was not." Sheldon argued.

"Now which one is Zazzles?" Amy asked changing the subject. She didn't want to fight with him again. She sat down on the bed.

Sheldon picked him up and showed her. Amy agreed he was definitely zazzy. Something was weighing on her mind now that they were boyfriend and girlfriend and they were in his bedroom alone together.

"So Sheldon…." Amy started. She needed to ask the question but she wasn't sure how to go about it. She agreed to be his girlfriend, so she needed to know what it was going to entail.

"You want to know what I am expecting out of our relationship now that we have altered the paradigm, correct?" Sheldon said to her putting down Zazzles and sitting next to her. He hadn't known her long but he was completely in sync with her. So he knew this question was coming.

"Well, yeah, I am still very new to all of this and we have not known each other very long." Amy said. "I just want you to know that I like you very much but it still might be awhile before I am ready."

"Amy listen to me, I like you too, and what I said to you last week at the zoo has not changed. I want to move at a pace you are comfortable with" he said to her sincerely picking up her hand again." I won't lie to you and tell you that I think it would be nice if we could maybe hold hands like this a little more."

"I liked it when you took it in the living room and I like it now. I was just scared last week." Amy told him as she took his hand and squeezed it.

"Well I also like it when you hug me and when you kiss me on the cheek." He told her biting his lip and looking into her eyes. The steady intent of his gaze made her stomach do flip flops and she chickened out.

"Don't push your luck," she teased ducking her head

"I wasn't kidding when I said we could write an agreement to contain the parameters. I have a similar one with Leonard about our being roommates. You could outline exactly what you feel comfortable doing and when."

"I don't think that will be necessary. If you let me set the pace I trust you to respect my boundaries. I think we can continue with the few little things we have already done and maybe try some other things..." Amy blushed furiously at the boldness of her statement.

"Okay, that sounds fair enough, you let me know when you are ready. There will be no pressure."

"Thank you." Amy said. She was about to give him a kiss on the cheek when there was a knock on the door.

"There better be no sinnin' going on in there." Mary yelled.

"Mother!" Sheldon yelled back. "We wouldn't do that."

Amy was mortified that Mary thought she would do that with her in the apartment. She quickly got up from the bed and walked to the door.

"Amy, don't worry about my mother." He said placing his hand on her arm to stop her, wanting the kiss he knew he was about to receive to happen.

"She seems pretty upset, I don't want her to think I am that kind of a girl." Amy said nervously looking at the door. This was the first time in her life she had ever been accused of being a bad girl. She found being cast in that light awfully titillating yet also terrifying.

"She won't. I don't lie well at all. If I tell her we aren't doing anything then she will believe me. You know I can't lie as you have called me on it before" He coaxed, pulling her gently back towards the bed.

"Yes but she can't see your face. Do you have a tell when you speak because all I know is when you lied to me, I saw you twitching."

"My mom just knows, I don't know what it is but even when I was younger if I was lying and not looking at her she still knew. So trust me, she believes me. If she didn't she would keep knocking."

"Oh okay." Amy said sitting stiffly on the bed and Sheldon could tell the mood from earlier is lost.

"But I do agree we should get back out there." He said and he held out his hand for her to take. She took it and they walked back into the living room.

"Oh good I was just going to come back and knock again." Mary said. "Dinner is ready. Amy, I trust you are staying?"

"Yes, if that is okay." She said.

"Of course it is okay. I didn't make this much chicken so it could go to waste." Mary said. Just then Penny came walking through the door.

"Who is it? Oh hi Penny, come on in." Sheldon said sarcastically.

"Shut up." Penny said to him.

"I trust you could smell my mother's outstanding cooking and you are over here to mooch a free meal out of us." Sheldon said to her.

"Oh Shelly, there is plenty enough to go around! Penny honey, you are welcome to stay for dinner." Mary said to her.

"Thank you." She then noticed Amy standing next to Sheldon still clutching his hand. Penny smiled widely since that could only mean one thing. These two were back together. Her intention in popping over was to see if Mary had been successful. "Oh hi Amy, what are you doing here?"

"Oh stop, you knew she was coming over." Leonard said.

"So I trust by looking at you two that things worked out." Penny said.

"Yes, nosy Nelly, Amy and I are back together. She has agreed to be my girlfriend." Sheldon said smiling at Amy.

"Girlfriend? So that means…" Penny started so excited for her two friends.

"Yes girlfriend, which means exclusive as in she is the only woman for me. Not that I was dating anyone else anyway. I was not some kind of playboy before I met you or anything " He said looking Amy directly in the eyes. He knew she would know he was telling the truth since she knew his tell.

"No he wasn't." Penny assured Amy.

"I know." Amy said.

"Well I am so happy for you. Now let's eat this delicious smelling meal." Penny said.

They all had a pleasant meal and then Mary retired for the night in Leonard's room. Leonard had generously offered his bed and slept on the couch. The next day Mary left to go back to Texas. Before she left she had a long talk with Sheldon who took the morning off so he could spend a little bit of time with his mother.

"So Sheldon, I can tell this girl is very special to you. So let me give you some advice."

"What would that be?" Sheldon asked her.

"Be patient. She likes you. I can tell. Leonard told me what she said to you on your first date. Now I know you are not a virgin but she is so please be patient."

"Mom, how could you think I would be anything but patient?"

"Does the name Leslie mean anything to you?"

"Mom, she was a mistake. A really big mistake that I regret almost every day of my life. I see her at work and it is very uncomfortable. We really hate each other. Trust me, I don't want with Amy what I had with her."

"What about this Ramona girl I am just now hearing about?"

"How do you know about her? Never mind, my roommate seems to have developed quite a big mouth. For the record I never slept with her."

"I figured as much. He said you were not as broken up about her."

"I wasn't broken up about Leslie either." Sheldon says defensively.

"No not like with Heidi, I will admit that. But you did come to Texas after Leslie to nurse your broken heart."

"Yes because I needed to think. I decided she wasn't worth my time or effort and I threw myself back into work. She is now just a nuisance that was once a part of my life. Unfortunately, she keeps turning back up. She has used two of my friends in the same way she used me."

"Oh well honey I am sorry to hear about that."

"Well that is neither here nor there, those are both in the past. I like Amy very much. She is very special. Amy isn't like any of the other girls I have ever dated. She reminds me a little bit of Samantha. Do you remember her Mother? She was my best friend before she went to that special school"

"I do and you know I thought the same thing. You two were thick as thieves when you were young. I am so glad you have found someone you can relate to and have long conversations. Your friends are wonderful but I think Amy is quite different from them."

"She is mom." He says dreamily thinking about her. " On our very first date we talked for hours. I didn't even realize it was close to nine before she left. I even missed laundry night, can you imagine that?"

"Leonard told me."

"Wow he really does have a big mouth."

"He was concerned about you. He was unaware of your past experiences with loss. How come you never told him about Pop Pop?"

"It never came up." Sheldon lied.

"You mean to tell me that your friends never asked why you hate Christmas."

"I didn't say that."

"So what did you tell them?"

"They know how I feel about gift giving so I just used that as an excuse. It was valid. They never questioned me after that."

"Oh Shelly, your friends would have understood."

"I know. I just never felt the need to tell them."

"Well now I am sure they will all know. My friends have a tendency to gossip. So they will all know why I hate Christmas so much."

"But they will be supportive. If you had told them that you didn't like it because of bad memories then they would never bug you to celebrate."

"Perhaps you are right."

"I am. Now you take care of yourself and I hope to see you again soon. The next time I come out here better not be because you got yourself into trouble again."

"I promise. I will not have any more breakdowns." He said smiling, thinking that there would not be a chance for another breakdown because he was never letting her go again.

"I love you Shelly."

"Love you too mom."

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_Three months later: _

Sheldon took his mother's advice to heart. He talked to his friends more about his childhood. He told them about Samantha and his Pop Pop. Just like his mom had said his friends were very supportive. They were very surprised to find out about his friend Samantha. They couldn't believe he had had a friend like her when he was younger.

Sheldon's relationship with Amy was moving along nicely. They were holding hands all the time, when they walked together, at the movies, even at the apartment when they sat next to each other. They hugged at the end of dates, hugs that had evolved from quick embraces to long lingering hugs, where they would stand together Amy pressed against his chest, for minutes on end until she would finally break away and say she had to go home. Sometimes Amy would kiss him on the cheek at the end of the date. Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part but Sheldon thought a few of the cheek kisses were migrating closer to his mouth. Once Sheldon tried to turn his head so that her kiss would land on his lips but Amy pulled back at the last moment. She then stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the nights he went into his apartment frustrated but he knew when she was ready it would be worth all the waiting. Sheldon was so happy it didn't matter that she was shy about the physical stuff. Amy was perfect for him, and the more time he spent with her the deeper in love he fell. No girl had ever made him feel like this before. He was head over heels for Amy.

All the guys plus Amy and Bernadette were invited to the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies' symposium on the impact of current scientific research on societal interactions. They would all be on a panel together. The weekend included an all-expense paid spa as well. Amy thought it would be fun if Penny came along since they were now all really good friends. She figured she could use a weekend off. She decided to ask one night when they were at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner.

After ordering their dinners, Amy asked if Penny had plans for the weekend.

"Oh why, what did you have planned?" Penny asked her. She got along very well with Sheldon's girlfriend but was still cautious. Amy was a bit peculiar and some things she wanted to do outright scared her.

"Oh well we have all been invited to the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies' symposium on the impact of current scientific research on societal interactions."

"The what?" Penny asked.

"It's an annual science conference. We have all been invited to speak." Leonard answered her.

"Oh well I would love to go but science really isn't my thing." Penny said thinking that he whole venture sounded boring. Why would Amy think she had any interest in something like that?

"I am aware of that but I thought you may enjoy the all-expenses paid spa." Amy says shrugging her shoulders.

"All-expenses paid?" Penny asked.

"I think she may be rethinking her initial reaction." Leonard said.

"When you guys say spa, it's the same as when I say spa, right?" Penny wanted to make sure they meant a weekend of massages and pampering, that spa was not some weird anachronism for some nerd thing.

"Yes except we don't take off our shirts in the sauna." Leonard commented.

"Oh this is excellent, I haven't had a vacation in ages." Penny gushed excitedly.

"Don't you think you should actually work in order to earn a vacation?" Sheldon asked her.

"You really shouldn't piss off the people that handle the things you eat." Penny commented.

"That does seem like a valid principle." Amy said.

"I trust Penny wouldn't do something like that." Sheldon said.

"Well you better hope you are right." Penny said.

The rest of the night they talked about the upcoming symposium. Sheldon told them he had researched the hotel thoroughly and was very impressed with the amenities, although he was a little worried about booking the rooms. He had a plan that he thought would work. Since he had appointed himself travel supervisor, he had to book the rooms. Sheldon booked a single room for Penny, one with two beds for Leonard and Raj, he didn't think they would mind sharing, one for Howard and Bernadette and then one for him and Amy. He made sure to tell the people at the desk for two beds. He was ready for them to share a bed, the thought of it was thrilling for him, but she hadn't even kissed him yet. Still he thought it best to have them share a room, maybe the close proximity could change her mind about some things. He didn't think Amy would be opposed to sharing a room but he knew he had to speak to her about it before Friday.

Thursday night was the night they had agreed would be their date night. It was the night they would spend alone without his friends and their figured that date night was as good a time as any to bring up the proposed sleeping arrangements. They were spending the evening in Amy's apartment. Amy wanted to cook dinner for him, then they would watch a movie before she drove him home.

"So Amy this is the first time we are going away together and I was thinking about room assignments." Sheldon started nervously. He so badly did not want to be shot down.

"I know what you are thinking. Do you think we are ready to share a room?" She asked equally as nervous. The question had been on her mind since the trip had been proposed. Amy thought she might be ready for more, how much she was not sure yet but sharing a hotel room seemed to be a safe stepping stone.

"I know I am. But here is what I am thinking. I will get us two beds. I know we aren't ready to share a bed yet. But I think we are adult enough to share a room. Don't you think?"he asked hoping desperately that this would be okay with her.

"I'm ready. As long as we are clear that it will be two beds." She confirmed licking her lips nervously. One room, two beds, it was such a big step for her.

"Absolutely." He said, smiling, pleased he would not have to change around his plans,

Friday morning arrived and everyone was seated in the living room of apartment 4A. They decided to meet there before carpooling to Big Sur.

"So let's get this over with." Leonard said.

"We have to talk about who is going to be where." Sheldon said.

"Oh come on Sheldon, we all know that I am driving and so is Bernadette. You, Amy and Penny will be in my car and Raj will ride with Howard and Bernadette. Was this in doubt?"

"No I guess it wasn't. But what about the quiz I prepared?" Sheldon asked.

"We are adults. We all know what to do in an emergency. I think we will be fine." Leonard said.

"What about bathroom breaks?" Sheldon asked.

"I think again, like Leonard said, we are adults. I think if one of us has to go we just tell the driver and we can communicate it to the other car and then we find a stop." Amy commented.

"I like things planned better than that." Sheldon dud no one else have a bathroom schedule to adhere too?

"I know you do but the rest of us don't." Amy said.

"This is going to be chaos." Sheldon said.

"It will be fine." Amy assured him. She took his hand. "Now let's get on the road."

They all got in the cars and the journey began. Sheldon and Amy sat in the back of Leonard's car.

"So shall we play a game?" Sheldon asked.

"Like what?" Penny asked thinking of I spy or the license plate game.

"Well Amy and I have made up our own game called Counterfactuals." He said and Penny can see him beaming at Amy in the rear view "We postulate an alternate world that differs from ours in one key aspect and then pose questions to each other."

"That sounds interesting." Leonard said. "Can we listen to a few rounds before we try."

"Certainly." Amy said. "Sheldon, in a world where rhinoceroses are domesticated pets, who wins the Second World War?

"Uganda." Sheldon answered promptly.

"Defend your answer." Amy said to him.

"Kenya rises to power on the export of rhinoceroses. A Central African power block is formed, colonizing North Africa and Europe. When war breaks out, no one can afford the luxury of a rhino. Kenya withers, Uganda triumphs."

"Correct. My turn." Amy said to him smiling.

"In a world where a piano is a weapon, not a musical instrument, on what does Scott Joplin play The Maple Leaf Rag?" Sheldon asked.

She answered just as quickly as Sheldon had. "Tuned bayonets."

"Defend." Sheldon said flirtatiously.

"Isn't it obvious?" Amy asked.

"You're right. My apologies." Sheldon said.

"Okay is this weird?" Penny whispered to Leonard.

"Yes but everything about their relationship is weird." He answered quietly.

"We are not weird." Sheldon said to them.

"Damn his Vulcan hearing." Leonard said.

"So would you like to try?" Amy asked Leonard.

"You know what sure. I like a good brain teaser." Leonard answered.

"Count me out." Penny said knowing her brains were no were near in comparisons to Sheldon and Amy's.

Sheldon chose the next card in their deck. "You're in luck, this is an easy one. In a world where mankind is ruled by a giant intelligent beaver, what food is no longer consumed?"

"Uh, a BLT where the B stands for beaver? I don't know." He laughed. Penny found it funny also, thinking that it was a good answer.

"Leonard, be serious. We're playing a game here." Sheldon said.

"I can figure this out, let's see. Um, well, beavers eat tree bark. The only tree bark I know that humans consume is cinnamon. So, I'll say cinnamon." Leonard answered.

Sheldon was impressed. He hadn't thought about that answer because the other answer was just so obvious as well. "You know that isn't a bad answer." He said to him.

"So am I correct?" Leonard asked.

"It isn't the answer we were looking for but it is good. We were actually looking for Cheese Danish." Amy said.

"Cheese Danish?" Penny asked. She had no idea how if the world was ruled by a beaver the world would lose a pastry.

"In a world ruled by a giant beaver, mankind builds many dams to please the beaver overlord. The low-lying city of Copenhagen is flooded. Thousands die. Devastated, the Danes never invent their namesake pastry." Amy explained.

"That's not ridiculous or anything." Penny said rolling her eyes.

"Actually it makes sense." Leonard said.

"But your answer was still a good one." Sheldon said.

"Thank you."

They continued to play. A little while later they all heard Leonard's phone chime.

"Hey check that, I have a text." Leonard said to Penny.

"Oh God." She said as she read it.

"What does it say?" He asked.

"Apparently Howard is telling Bernadette that he wants to nap when he gets to the hotel and Bernadette doesn't understand that it means he wants to have sex." Penny explained.

"I should call her." Leonard said. He dialed her number.

"Hi, Leonard." They heard through the speakers.

"Yeah, hi. Listen, I just got a text from Raj. He wanted me to tell you that when Howard says nap, he means sex." Leonard said to him.

"Oh." Bernadette said and hung up the phone.

"Well that was awkward." Penny said.

"Just a little." Leonard said.

"Speaking of napping, Amy, are you and Sheldon sharing a room or are we?" Penny asked. She didn't care if they were. They were becoming pretty good friends. Yet it would be ćute to see Sheldon and her sharing a room, maybe it could get things going between them.

"Sheldon and I are." Amy answered. "We discussed it and we think we can handle it." Amy said smiling at Sheldon

"Are you going to be in two beds or one?" Leonard asked curiously.

"Two, we aren't there yet." Sheldon said.

"Oh okay." Leonard said.

They arrived at the hotel in good time. They all went to the desk to check in. As they were making their way to the room, Sheldon thought he heard someone calling his name. Annoyed, thinking it was some two bit scientist trying to ride his coat tails he reluctantly turned in the direction the voice was coming from.

"Sheldon?" The woman said again in a thick accent. Since it had taken him so long to turn around she questioned that it was him again.

As Sheldon turned around his eyes got wide as he took in the appearance of of a statuesque blonde figure. "Heidi?" He said recognizing her instantly.

**Okay sorry for ending this on a bit of a cliffhanger but I promise you won't have to wait months for it to be resolved. Although there may be just a small bit of angst in the next chapter, but it won't break them up I promise you all that. **

**And I know that some of you may be thinking that Samantha is in fact Amy and while I did think about that, I have already given Amy a background with a father that died when she was 10 so I think if she was Samantha and as smart as Sheldon she would remember him or her mother would have so that is not the case. **

**Oh and I hope you like what I did with Counterfactuals. I always thought Leonard's answer was pretty good so I want to show a different side of Sheldon and Amy when it comes to their game, but that they still wanted Cheese Danish and Leonard being more acceptable of being wrong since Sheldon did say his answer was good. **

**As always thanks in advance for the reviews...you guys rock!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I am so overwhelmed by the support for this story. So sorry to tell some of you but Heidi is here to cause a bit of trouble. Enjoy! Oh and after tonight's finale, I hope you like the Shamy here. **

**As always thanks to Boys3allC for all your help, there were lots of mistakes in this chapter. **

**I wish I owned this: **

"_Sheldon?" The woman said again in a thick accent. Since it had taken him so long to turn around she questioned that it was him again. _

_ As Sheldon turned around his eyes got wide__ as he took in the appearance of a statuesque blonde figure. __"Heidi?" He said recognizing her instantly._

Heidi ran over to him and threw her arms around him hugging him tightly around the middle. "I can't believe it is really you." She gushed.

Amy cleared her throat standing next to Sheldon and having an up close look at the woman. She did not want to appear jealous but she wasn't sure who this woman thought she was throwing herself at her boyfriend. The woman finally released him and turned to look at the diminutive woman standing next to him.

"Oh, right Heidi, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler." He said taking Amy's hand and introducing Amy to the woman. "Amy, this is Heidi Frisch, we met when I wteaching in Germany." Sheldon said to her. Amy knew exactly who Heidi was the moment he said Germany. She felt self-conscious Heidi was gorgeous. She looked like a model with her blue eyes and blonde hair. How was she supposed to compete with her?

"It's very nice to meet you." Heidi said. "You are a lucky woman. Sheldon is one of a kind." She commented looking at Sheldon appreciatively.

"Yes he is." She said smiling. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. Maybe she would just want to see what he was up to and then be gone.

"So are you here for the symposium?" Heidi asked.

"Yes we are doing a panel discussion on Science and Society. It's tomorrow afternoon." Sheldon answered.

"So you are doing it together?" Heidi asked, gesturing between the two of them.

"Well us and our friends over there." Sheldon answered.

"Well I will have to check it out." She said. "I've got to run. Maybe we can get together later and catch up?" She asked him the innuendo in her voice was not lost on Amy who decides to speak up.

"Oh well we have plans." Amy cut in grabbing Sheldon's arm as she noticed that Heidi was getting closer and closer to him.

"We do?" Sheldon asked. He did not know of anything they had planned. He would have loved to catch up with Heidi. He hadn't seen her in fifteen years Heidi had been a brilliant scientist. He was curious where her research had taken her...

"Yes we do." Amy said. She did not like this woman encroaching on her

boyfriend. She would do everything in her power to keep her away from him. This rush of jealousy and feeling territorial was new to Amy. She felt like a lioness defending her position in the pride.

"Oh well maybe some other time then." Sheldon said to her. He waved as she walked away from him. Then he turned to Amy. "What plans do we have?"

"We don't have any. I just didn't like the way that woman was looking at you. And before you give me any explanation, I know who she is. You told me all about her remember?"

"Of course I remember. I just fail to see what the issue is." Amy could tell he was not being obtuse. He just has no idea the effect he had on women.

"Sheldon, she was flirting with you." Amy pointed out.

"No she wasn't. She is just an old friend." Sheldon said, looking after where Heidi had just walked. He had not thought that she was being flirtatious. He certainly had not been flirting with her.

"She was more than a friend." Amy said and he could tell she was distraught though he couldn't imagine why How could someone like Amy ever be threatened by someone like Heidi?

"Listen you do not have to worry about Heidi. I am with you, not her." Sheldon assured her.

"I don't know maybe after just looking at her, I don't understand why you are with me." She said hanging her head and he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Amy, I was fifteen when I met Heidi. So if we are really looking at things in perspective then we must think that my teenage hormones were on high alert. I wasn't looking for what was on the inside with her but I only noticed the outside."

"I know, that is what I am saying Sheldon, look at me and then look at her." Amy said to him, gesturing at her body. He could not believe what he was hearing from her. How could she not see it? He took her hand and lightly tilted her chin up so that she was looking into his eyes.

"You are beautiful." Sheldon said to her gazing into her eyes. She was the most beautiful creature in the world to him...

"You think I'm beautiful?" Amy asked him gulping slightly. She couldn't believe he had said that to her. No one ever told her before that she was beautiful, the way he was looking at her right now almost made her believe it...

"I do." Sheldon answered. "You have true beauty that will never go away. You are beautiful on the inside and the out. So please don't worry about Heidi. I don't want her anymore, it is only you."

"Thank you Sheldon." Amy said.

"So shall we go to our room?" Sheldon said holding out his hand to her. They walked away towards the elevators which led to their room.

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They didn't see her but Heidi stood in the distance watching the couple talking about her. She could tell Amy didn't like her immediately; Heidi had that effect on women. Of course, Heidi knew she had no reason to like her. She had openly been flirting with her boyfriend and Sheldon was just as clueless about it now as he had been fifteen years prior. Back then it had taken months for Sheldon to get clued in to her advances. Heidi had to practically hand him a written invitation to get him to sleep with her.

However his little girlfriend was not as clueless as Sheldon was. She had known exactly what her intentions were, Heidi heard Amy telling him about it. Then Sheldon saying that it didn't matter that she was flirting, because he was with her.

Then he told her she was beautiful. Heidi couldn't believe it, that tiny drab thing. To Heidi Amy was just a dowdy poorly dressed woman. She looked more like she was eighty then in her late twenties A man such as Dr. Sheldon Cooper deserved much better on his arm. Although Heidi also heard Sheldon say her beauty was even more with her mind.

Well if Heidi had anything to do with it, Sheldon would see that she was more than just a pretty face. The problem was Amy seemed to be staying with Sheldon in his room. Heidi had been hoping that they were in different rooms but since they were dating she figured it was only logical they were staying together. She needed to figure out a way to get the two of them apart so she could work her magic with Sheldon again. She wanted to make him remember how he had fallen in love with her all those years ago.

Heidi got very lucky when she heard one of the two girls she had seen arrive with them call Amy as they were walking to the elevator. She overheard them talking about getting together to go for manicures and Amy agreed to meet them in an hour. Heidi couldn't believe her luck, a chance like would not present itself again. She figured Sheldon would be alone in his room and she could go and see him. Then with any luck she would be able to get him back.

Heidi had missed him from the moment he left on that airplane fifteen years prior. Dr. Sheldon Cooper had been the one who got away, maybe everyone felt like that about their first loves. Though Heidi swore it was different with him, he had been handsome and brilliant, her professor at only age fifteen. Heidi vowed that if she ever got to go to the states that she would find him. Upon landing she had vague plans of looking him up after the symposium. She had heard that he was an experimental physicist at Caltech. Heidi never expected him to be at this symposium. When he was teaching it was always beneath him to do panels, but then she saw his name on the program of events and she knew destiny was intervening.

Heidi had to get to her room and plan. If this were to work things had to go just so. She wanted to make it so Amy would come back and see her with Sheldon. So she went ahead of them to the nail place. She decided she could use with a pedicure and she would know when they arrived and would be finished before they were. She got there and was sitting with her feet soaking when the three women walked in. She saw them checking out colors of nail polish and talking. The smaller blonde handed Amy a color and she saw her shake her head in agreement. They then came into the main part of the salon. Amy spotted her and blanched her face going ghostly pale, as she whispered something into the taller blonde's ear and she saw them all look at her. She could only imagine what was said as the smaller blonde gave her the evil eye. Heidi finished her pedicure some time later and left the salon. Then She headed up to Sheldon's room on a mission.

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Sheldon was upset that Amy had agreed to go get manicures with the girls. He had planned out a whole day of them together, but she explained they had all night to spend together so he reluctantly accepted. She left about an hour after they checked in and Sheldon was left alone in his room. Leonard, Raj and Howard decided to check out the hotel bar while the girls were at the salon but Sheldon didn't want to go. He decided he would spend the time apart making sure his speech for the next day was ready.

About forty-five minutes after the girls left there was a knock on his door. Odd he thought He wasn't expecting anyone but figured maybe Amy had left her key in the room. He walked over to the door and answered it. He was surprised to find Heidi standing on the other side.

"Heidi what are you doing here?" He asked her in surprise standing in the doorway blocking the entrance.

"Well I saw your 'girlfriend' at the salon and figured it was safe to come and visit you." She said peeking around his shoulder.

"I'm not sure that is such a good idea." He said. The last thing he needed was Amy to feel even more insecure knowing he had been visiting with Heidi. "What do you want?"

"I've missed you." She said smiling and tilting her head at a coquettish angle. "I have thought about you almost every day since you left."

"Heidi, it's been fifteen years. I find it improbable that you could possibly have missed me for that long."

"That is where you are wrong. I never wanted you to leave all those years ago."

"You know I had to go. I needed to finish my studies."

"Didn't you miss me?" Heidi said pouting.

"Of course I did for a while. I was quite torn up when I first got home but I moved on. It was never meant to be. We were very young. You were my first love. I won't ever forget you but I am with Amy now and she is my everything."

"That girl is your everything? You can't tell me that. She is so…." Heidi was going to say dowdy but Sheldon cut her off.

"She is so beautiful, both in and out. She isn't worried about what other people think about her or any other shallow thing girl's think about. She is her own person."

"Yet she is getting a manicure." Heidi pointed out.

"Yes but because she wants to not because social pressure dictates she get one, unlike you who got one every other week if I recall. She is hanging out with her friends and having a good time."

"Come on Sheldon, you can't tell me that she is anything like me." Heidi said walking closer to him so she is just inches from his face.

"She isn't and that is what makes her so special. She doesn't need approval to be herself. She is perfect just the way she is."

Heidi was standing in the doorway of Sheldon's room trying to coax her way in but Sheldon was having none of it. He was standing like a statue in the entry way his arm crossed. Then she heard the girls coming up the hallway towards the room. She knew now was the time to act.

"Sheldon come on, you know I am better for you than she is. Does she kiss you like this?" Heidi said and pulled him toward her and kissed him with all her might, pressing her lips against his tightly closed mouth and wrapping her hands around his neck just as Amy was coming around the corner and saw what happened.

Sheldon had no idea what happened. One minute he was defending his relationship with Amy the next he had Heidi's lips on him. He pushed Heidi away. "What the hell are you doing?" He screamed but heard and saw Amy at the exact same time.

Sheldon?" Amy questioned practically crying. She turned and ran in the direction she had come from.

Heidi tried to block Sheldon from running after her. "Where are you going?" She said.

"Get the hell out of my way. I want nothing to do with you. You are my past. Amy is my present. I just hope you haven't messed things up." He said to her coldly and ran down the hall after Amy. "I suggest you aren't anywhere near here when I get back with Amy." He called back over his shoulder.

Heidi was left standing in the hall facing Penny and Bernadette who looked like they were about to kill her.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Penny said to her. Bernadette was right behind her as they approached her. "Did you really think that Sheldon would go for you a two bit floosy that doesn't seem to care if he is happy? Obviously you don't know Sheldon as well as you think you do."

"Sheldon doesn't know what he wants. He can't possibly want **that** woman."

"Are you talking about Amy? She is more woman than you will ever be."

Penny said to her. "I think you should leave."

Heidi began to protest but Bernadette stepped up. "You heard her, leave." She said. Heidi didn't think twice. Even though she was half her size, Bernadette didn't look like someone to mess with. She left without saying another word.

"Do you believe the nerve of some people?" Penny said.

"I just hope Sheldon finds her. It is a good thing she warned us about that woman or we may have tried to talk her into pedicures too. How did Amy know she would try something?" Bernadette asked.

"She just knew." Penny said.

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_At the spa:_

Amy was super excited to get manicures with her friends. She had never had one before. She knew Sheldon wanted to spend some extra time with her in the room but she told him they had all night. She had a good feeling about this weekend. She thought maybe they could increase their intimacy and she needed advice from the girls. She also wanted some pampering after the run in with Heidi. For some reason she just didn't trust the woman to stay away from Sheldon.

"So Amy what color polish do you want to get?" Penny asked her.

"Oh I don't know, maybe something light. I don't want to overdo it my first time." She answered.

Bernadette handed her a pale purple polish. "What about this?" She asked.

"Oh I like that." Amy said.

"Well what do you say? Manicures and pedicures or just one?" Penny asked.

"They are paid for correct?" Penny clarified.

"Yes, I say we do both." Bernadette said.

"Sounds good to me." Amy said but just as she agreed she saw out of the corner of her eye, Heidi was sitting in a seat soaking her feet. She blanched when she saw her. Penny noticed the color drain out of Amy and walked over to her.

"Hey are you okay?" Penny asked.

"No see that woman sitting getting a pedicure?"

"Yeah. What about her?" Penny looked over.

"She is Sheldon's ex, Heidi." Amy told her.

"That's Heidi?" Penny said shocked. Heidi was not what she pictured when she heard the words Sheldon and girlfriend.

"Yeah and she was practically drooling all over him when she spoke with him." Amy said.

"Oh sweetie you have nothing to worry about. Sheldon is crazy about you." Penny told her, patting her on the arm. Sheldon just was not the type to two time.

"I know that. It's her I don't trust." Amy hissed back.

"Do you want to leave?" Penny asked.

"No let's get our manicures." Amy answered. She was determined not to let this woman get in the way of her wonderful weekend she had planned.

"Yeah no need to let her ruin our good time." Bernadette said.

The three ladies made their way to the tables to get manicures. Amy kept an eye on Heidi the entire time.

"I still can't believe that is Heidi. I guess I never pictured Sheldon with someone like her." Penny said.

"Yeah it makes you wonder what he saw in her." Bernadette said.

"It makes me wonder what he sees in me." Amy commented.

"Amy, please, you are ten times that woman, trust me." Penny said. Bernadette nodded in agreement.

"Girls like that are just looks. Believe me I know and Sheldon he wants his woman to have substance. Besides you are very pretty, and I know that Sheldon thinks you are."

"Well Sheldon did tell me I was beautiful." Amy said.

"See, he was young when he was with her. He was probably a just a walking bundle of hormones." Bernadette said. "You are so much more than she is; you are what he wants now."

They watched her finish her pedicure. She looked over at them and smiled icily. Then she was gone.

"I still don't trust her." Amy said.

"Do you want to go?" Bernadette asked. They hadn't started their pedicures but were just finishing the manicures.

"If you don't mind. Maybe we can come back tomorrow and get the pedicures." She said.

"Sure sweetie, not a problem." Penny said understanding the need to stake your claim on a man.

The girls left the salon and made their way back to the elevators and headed directly to Sheldon and Amy's room. . They were all staying on the same floor so they walked back together. They rounded the corner and were met with quite the surprise. Heidi was at Sheldon and Amy's door and she was kissing Sheldon. It was clear to Bernadette and Penny that Sheldon was not participating in the kiss and he was clearly taken off guard but all Amy saw was the kiss.

"Sheldon?" Amy started practically crying. She turned and ran down the hall from the direction they came.

Amy didn't know where she was going but she knew she had to get away. How could she have been so stupid to believe him? She berated herself/ She should have known Sheldon was still interested in Heidi She was everything that Amy wasn't , so much prettier and taller and judging by her lips on his mouth she had no problem with physical contact.. Of course he was interested in Heidi over her Amy heard him calling her name but she kept running. Amy didn't even want to wait for the elevator so she found the stairs. She ran all the way down to the first floor and continued through the lobby. She didn't hear Sheldon coming down after her so figured he gave up. She ran through the bar and towards the other side.

Amy kept running until she got to the pool of the hotel. She was glad that the pool was empty. She needed to be alone. Amy found a spot at the edge of the pool trying not to get wet. She sat down and took her shoes off. She was grateful she hadn't worn her tights today since she was getting a pedicure. She put her feet into the water and sighed. The cool water was calming.

She wasn't sure what to do next. She could not stay with Sheldon after that She figured she could stay with Penny for the duration of the weekend but what would happen next? She was so confused. She felt herself tearing up and willed the tears to stay in. She didn't want to cry but she couldn't help it. The tears just flowed out. Is this what falling in love felt like? Did love feel like a punch to the gut? Did love make you want to cry? Her mother always told her that love hurt. She just never told her it would hurt this much.

"Why did I agree to be his girlfriend?" She said out loud to no one. "This is it, I am done with men." The tears just kept coming and coming. She couldn't stop crying. She felt a hand on her shoulder a few minutes later. She looked up to see Sheldon.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked her as he sat down beside her, taking off his shoes, rolling up his pant legs and dangling his feet in the water

"What do you want? Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend?" She said sarcastically.

"I am with my girlfriend." He said to her playfully bumping into her shoulder.

"You know what I mean." Amy said.

"You are my girlfriend. I thought we discussed this already. e. Heidi is my past, a past I have no desire to revisit. You are my now, my future, my everything. I don't want anything to do with Heidi and if you had stayed long enough you would have heard me tell her that."

"But you were kissing." She protested.

"No, she kissed me." Sheldon said. "I didn't invite her to do that. Amy don't you understand, it's you I want to be with. Heidi invited herself to our room. She tried to tell me that she was better for me than you. I told her she was wrong. I love you for all the right reasons. I loved her for all the wrong ones." He said not even realizing the magnitude of what he just said.

"You love me?" She questioned. She didn't know what was happening. Sheldon had just told her that he loved her. She wasn't sure if she should say it back. She wasn't sure she was actually in love with him. Sure he made her feel like no man had ever made her feel. But no man had ever made her feel anything before, so she had no comparison of her feelings. Amy did not make declarations lightly and while what was stirring inside of her might be love; she wanted to be sure before she said it back.

"Um, yes?" He said as a question. "Listen, you don't have to say it back if you aren't ready. I have known for a while that I was in love with you. Probably back to when I bought all those cats to replace you."

"But we had only known each other for a few weeks then." Amy said quietly

"When I have a feeling I know it. And I know I love you." Sheldon said. He looked at her. He could tell that she was thinking about what to say. "You don't have to say anything just…." But he was cut off by her soft lips descending on his. It was the first time she had kissed him on the lips and he was thrilled. He desperately wanted to deepen the kiss, to fully taste her mouth. Yet he didn't want to scare her and have her run away again, so he gently kissed her back. She pulled away a few seconds later and smiled up at him

"That was nice" She said to him shyly.

"I agree, very nice." He said. "So does this mean you believe me when I tell you that you are the only woman for me?"

"Yes." She said.

"Good, now let's go back to our room. We have some making up to do." Sheldon said standing up. Then he pulled her up from the edge of the pool and bent down and handed her discarded shoes. As he put himself back to rights Amy watched on, her heart thrumming, wondering what he meant by making up and finding herself eager to find out.

**I wanted to wait for the ILY from Sheldon but it fit here so well...don't worry it won't take much longer for Amy to realize those feelings she is getting are also love. So I think a marriage proposal is coming up next...sorry not Shamy quite yet but how about a Howardette proposal?**

**Reviews help me write faster.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So sorry guys this took so long but I was having some writers block with how I would like this chapter to go. I wanted it to be great plus I am working on another story about the season finale. Anyway, many of you were wondering what I meant by making up...so here it is. No it is not M rated yet but we are going to get there eventually. **

**As always thanks to Boys3allC for editing and adding to help make this chapter what it is. **

**I wish I owned it all...**

"_Good, now let's go back to our room. We have some making up to do." Sheldon said standing up. Then he pulled her up from the edge of the pool and bent down and handed her discarded shoes. As he put himself back to rights Amy watched on, her heart thrumming, wondering what he meant by making up and finding herself eager to find out._

They walked hand in hand back to the room. When they got back to the room they found Penny and Bernadette standing by the door looking concerned. They wrapped Amy up in a hug when they saw her.

"Oh I am so glad you found her. I was worried." Penny said, releasing Amy from the embrace.

"Where's Heidi?" Sheldon asked her looking around for evidence of the blonde nuisance.

"We sent her packing." Bernadette said crossing her arms

"Yeah tough as nails Bernadette here told her she better listen to what we said. It was actually kind if scary. Bernadette can be mean. Heidi looked a little scared when she left." Penny answered.

"Listen, if you guys see her again, just let it go. There is no need to make things worse. I don't know what she is capable of, she is crazy, obviously, I mean she told me that she had been waiting for fifteen years to see me again." Sheldon said.

"I told you she was flirting with you." Amy said leaning into him.

" I am sorry I didn't see it. It's just that I don't always have an eye for those things. I thought she just wanted to catch up on life, talk about science and her place in the symposium. I promise I have no desire to see her ever again." Sheldon said to her.

"I know you don't." Amy said.

"Okay ladies, if you will excuse us we would like to call it a night." Sheldon said pointedly to Penny and Bernadette, inserting his card into the door.

"Wait, aren't you guys coming to dinner with us?" Bernadette asked innocently.

"Um," Sheldon started. He was embarrassed. He did not want to explain his need for alone time with Amy.

"Why don't we let them have tonight to themselves?" Penny said to her understanding without words what he meant

"Oh, okay." Catching the drift. "Well we will see you guys tomorrow. Panel starts at eleven. Don't be late." Bernadette said winking at them.

"I am never late." Sheldon said.

"See you tomorrow." Amy said to them ignoring Sheldon who still couldn't grasp sarcasm.

Sheldon opened the room and held the door open for Amy. She was a bit nervous about what Sheldon was going to expect once they were inside. Sheldon had just told her that he loved her. They had kissed and then he said they were going to make up. What did making up mean? She was not ready to go beyond kissing yet. They walked in the room together and both were silent for a moment unsure of what to say next.

"So what do you want to do for dinner now that we aren't going out with the rest of the group?" She asked him even though food was the last thing on her mind. It seemed like a safe topic to discuss.

"I was thinking we could order room service." He answered.

"That sounds good. Do you want to do that now or…?" She was cut off by Sheldon's lips on hers softly forming themselves around hers. After a few seconds he pulled away. "Later." She finished before she went back in to kiss him again wrapping her arms around his neck to steady herself on her shaky legs.

"I am thinking later." Sheldon said when he broke the kiss he slowly walked to the bed and sat down on it., He made a motion for her to sit beside him and she did. Then he leaned in to kiss her again holding her face in his hands and lightly nibbling her lower lip, causing her to moan softly.. Encouraged by her response he deepened the kiss, parting her lips with his tongue and she continued to kiss him back. Amy felt overwhelmed with happiness. This was better than she ever expected. Amy never knew kissing would feel like felt his tongue sweep over her lips and parted her lips to give him access and he slipped his tongue in and they began a dance of the tongues.

Sheldon was in the moment and felt amazing. He had this beautiful woman who was passionately kissing had just declared his love to her, and even if she didn't say it back he knew she felt the same way. He was reveling in the feeling of their tongues together and the soft moans he was eliciting from her. Then he slowly pushed her back on the bed framing her face with his arms. He continued to kiss her but didn't try anything else as much as he wanted to. He did not want to push his luck with her. Sheldon was just content with the fact she had finally kissed him and was allowing this make out session. So he just continued what he was doing even though his hands itched to touch her all over.

Amy was so in the moment she didn't realize they were lying down and he was practically on top of her when they came up for breath.

"Wow that was just..." Amy said to him looking up at him speechless.

"Yeah it was just wow." He said still staring down at her. Looking at her like he is about to say something profound, he sat up and asked her "So about dinner?"

"Let's look at the menu." Amy said sitting up, shaking herself out of the moment.

The two looked at the menu together and when they settled on what they wanted, Sheldon called and placed the order. It was going to be about forty-five minutes before it arrived.

"Do you mind if I take a shower before the food gets here?" Amy asked him.

"No not at all." Wondering why she thought he would mind, chalking it up to a woman thing. This was really his first experience sharing such close quarters with a woman . "What would you like to do after dinner?"

"We could watch a movie." She suggested.

"Anything in particular you feel like watching?" He asked thinking it would be gentlemanly to ask her. At the same time He hoped she did not pick some sentimental drivel.

"You can pick." She said.

"Are you sure?" He asked relieved.

"I trust you to pick something we both will like." She said as she moved from the bed and made her way into the bathroom.

Sheldon tried to distract himself from the thought of Amy nude in the shower not fifty feet from him. He went through the list of movies the hotel offered and rejected several titles before he found something he thought they would enjoy together. Amy came out about twenty minutes later wearing her pajamas. Sheldon gulped as he saw her and continued to stare at her as she sat on the bed beside him.

"I hope you don't mind I figured we weren't going out the rest of the night." She said shyly.

"No that's a good idea maybe I should get in my pajamas as well. I think I am going to shower and get in my pajamas so we can match." A cold shower he thought getting up still recovering from how adorable she looks in her pajamas. "I selected a movie for us to watch, I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and the food is already charged to the room and here is my wallet for a tip." He told her grabbing his wallet and handing it to her.

"I can get it." Setting the wallet down and reaching for her purse.

"I insist." He said grabbing the purse and putting it away Then he gave her a quick kiss before disappearing into the bathroom.

Sheldon came out of the bathroom just before the food arrived, dressed in his pajamas and robe.

"So what movie did you pick?" Amy asked him as he sat down next to her on the bed.

"A Beautiful Mind, have you seen it?"

"Years ago but I enjoyed it." Amy answered thinking that it was a strangely apropos choice.

"Good, I figured it was something we could both enjoy and it is a feel good romp if there ever was one." Sheldon said.

"Well it is a good choice I enjoy Russell Crowe as an actor. He is very handsome." She said.

The food arrived a short time later and they enjoyed their meal. After Sheldon started the movie and the two cuddled on his bed. Amy dozed off on Sheldon's shoulder shortly after the movie began. He just let her sleep enjoying the feeling of her snuggled against his chest. Looking down at her face he relaxed, in sleep he felt like he was resting with an angel. When the movie was over he gently woke her up.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep." She said to him looking up and blinking her big green eyes.

"Don't be, you had a long day." He said. "Now if you don't mind, I need to use the bathroom and brush my teeth, unless of course you need to go first."

"No you go ahead, I will follow you this time." She said.

He got up and headed into the bathroom and she smiled as he walked away. She could not believe that she had fallen asleep in his arms and how good it felt .Yet she didn't want him to get the wrong idea about her. So she decided it would be best to sleep separately from him. She wasn't quite ready for more than kissing. She was very grateful he hadn't tried anything more than kissing earlier, even when they were lying down on the bed with him almost on top of her.

While Sheldon was in the bathroom, as he brushed his teeth, he began to think about what would happen next. He really wanted Amy to sleep in the same bed with him but he also didn't want to pressure her. If she chose to sleep by herself then he would be okay with that. He was sure it would only jeopardize this relationship by pushing things with her too early. They had a wonderful night and he was even more enamored with her then ever. He hoped she felt the same as well. He finished his night time rituals and headed back into the room. She walked past him and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. When she came out she climbed into the other bed. Sheldon was disappointed. He tried not to show it but she saw it on his face.

"I'm not ready yet. I'm sorry. " She started but Sheldon came over to her bed and took her hand.

"Don't be sorry, I understand."

"So you are not upset?" She asked.

"No I am not. We were having a lovely time watching the movie and you fell asleep. I was hoping that maybe you would want to continue sleeping in my bed. Yet I respect that you are not ready." He said. He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She said to him.

Sheldon went back over to his own bed and went to sleep.

A couple of hours later, Sheldon woke up to screaming coming from the other bed. Amy was thrashing in her sleep and screeching. He had no idea what was going on. He ran over to the bed and grabbed on to her. She was flailing her arms and Sheldon had no idea what to do. He didn't even know what was happening. He started screaming her name.

"Amy!" He screamed but she was not answering. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and quickly looked up nightmares. He could only assume this was what was happening to her. It seemed that what she was experiencing was a night terror. Most people never even knew they occurred but some woke up from it but had no recollection of what the dream was about.

Sheldon googled night terrors and found a forum for people with them. One of the posts said the best way to handle the terror was to gently stroke the person's hair soothingly. He gathered her in his arms and started to do just that but Amy was still out of control. After a few minutes she started to calm down and Sheldon did as well. She woke up after another few minutes completely out of sorts. She was surprised to see Sheldon sitting on her bed. She was wrapped in his arms and he had a panicked expression on his face.

"Sheldon, what happened?" She asked him.

"I think you had a night terror." He explained.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry. I should have told you this could happen." She was completely embarrassed.

"Do you have them often?" He asked.

"Usually when I am over stressed or in a strange place." She answered.

"Well I guess you had both today." He responded.

"That is true. I am sorry if I woke you up." She said.

"I wish you would have warned me that this could happen. I was afraid for a while. I don't like seeing you in pain."

"How did you know what to do?" She asked.

"I looked it up online." He answered holding up his phone.

"Of course, Smart." She said.

"It's what I do." He said. She laughed. "So I guess we should go back to bed now." Releasing her and starting to rise from the bed but Amy stopped him with her hand.

"Do you think you could stay with me?" She asked shyly

"Are you sure?" He didn't want to pressure her.

"Yes. I feel comfortable with your arms around me." She explained.

Sheldon climbed back into her bed and wrapped his arms around her again. Amy settled against his chest and wrapped her hands around his back. Amy felt herself relaxing listening to the steady beat of his heart. They fell asleep a few minutes later and slept soundly the rest of the night.

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About a month after the symposium, Leonard started dating Raj's sister, Priya, who was in Los Angeles for a job. They had seen each other in the past without Raj's knowledge and when she had come for the interview months earlier they had hooked up again. When Raj found out he felt betrayed but then was relieved to find out that Priya had broken Leonard's heart by telling him they could never date. But now it seemed that Priya was rebelling against her family and dating an American boy was the best way for her to do it.

Penny for her part was taking it well. Even if she knew she had made a mistake when she broke up with Leonard. He got too serious too fast for her. In the past she had made the mistake of telling a guy she loved him only to be hurt. So when Leonard said it to her, she hesitated and panicked. Penny cared deeply for him, knowing she might even love him but it seemed too soon for her. Penny wished she could be as strong as Amy. Penny just couldn't have a guy say it to her and not reciprocate it. She wasn't sure when she could have told him. So in the end she felt that ending it was better. Of course the more she thought about it, the more she blamed Wil Wheaton for the break up. He had told her about a girl that he had said I love you to that had ended up breaking his heart a year later. She was never sure why she listened to him.

Amy was the best friend Penny had ever had. She was there for Penny every step of the way since the Priya thing started. Amy went out with her and let her cry over the loss of Leonard and bash Priya with her. She even told Leonard it wasn't fair when Priya told him that she couldn't hang out with them for dinner. Penny had always been a part of the group and a newbie couldn't dictate who was invited to dinner. Priya tried to get the rest of the group to come to Raj's apartment but since Sheldon was dating Amy and Howard was dating Bernadette the majority of the time was still spent in apartment 4A despite Priya's protests. She had to learn to live with Penny.

Amy and Sheldon's relationship was blossoming and progressing at a nice pace since the trip to Big Sur. They were kissing on a regular basis and Amy was more and more certain every day that she was in love with Sheldon. They saw each other every day for dinner and still had the set date nights of Thursday and Saturday. Usually they would spend the entire day on Saturday together. Amy had never been happier than she was when she was with Sheldon. She felt she needed advice though about how their relationship was progressing. Amy felt like she couldn't talk to Penny because Penny was dealing with her own issues. Although she loved Bernadette, she was really busy finishing her doctorate program. She knew she wasn't going to talk to the guys about this. She didn't want it to get back to she asked her assistant Hannah, she told her to tell him how she felt.

But she still wasn't sure how she felt. She just knew she had never felt like this before. She decided to call the one person who was routing for this relationship more than Penny.

"Hello." Sandy Fowler answered the phone.

"Hi mom." Amy said to her.

"Amy, so good to hear from you. How are things going?" She had been so happy when Sheldon and her got back together. They had been talking weekly but Amy didn't give her many details about the relationship.

"Things are great mom." Amy said enthusiastically.

"So to what do I owe the honor of an unscheduled phone call?" She asked.

"I have a question for you." Amy said to her.

"What is that?" Her mother was a bit worried. Was she going to ask about when it was okay to have sex? What was she going to ask?

"Mom, how did you know when you loved dad?" She asked her.

"Why do you ask?" Sandy said to her.

"I just want to know." Amy answered.

"Do you think you are in love?" Her mom asked excited.

"I don't know. That is why I asked how you knew when you loved dad."

"Amy, the feeling is different for everyone. With your father, I couldn't wait to see him every time we went out. I got butterflies in my stomach when we kissed. What are you feeling?"

"Exactly the same thing." Amy answered her.

"Well that is a wonderful thing."

"You don't think it is too soon?" Amy asked. She and Sheldon had only been together for just under 5 months.

"Too soon? Amy dear, there is no set time to fall in love."

"I don't know mom. I was just wondering."

"Okay so if you think you are in love with him, how do you think he feels about you?"

"Mom, I didn't tell you this because I thought you might be upset but Sheldon told me a month ago that he loved me." Amy said to her.

"Oh that is wonderful, see no set time. Sometimes when you know, you just know. You haven't slept with him yet, correct?" She asked.

"No mom not yet, I am still not ready but we have kissed a lot though."

"So what is the problem? If you love him, tell him. It isn't too soon."

"Are you sure?" Amy asked.

"Yes I am sure. If you feel this strongly about him, then you should tell him. Now I do have a question."

"What's that?" Amy asked her.

"Are you ready to sleep with him?"

"I don't know mom. I am still trying to figure that out. I have slept in the same bed with him and it was wonderful." She had told her mom about Big Sur and her night terror. Her mom was very supportive.

"So are you ready to take that next step? If you tell him you love him, he may be expecting more." She told Amy.

"He isn't like that." Amy said to her mom. "He told me to let him know if we go too far. He doesn't push me. Even that night in Big Sur, we started in separate beds. I asked for him to stay after my terror. He was going to go back to his bed."

"Well it seems to me you have a wonderful man in your life. I can't wait to meet him. I do hope you will bring him over during the holidays. Perhaps we could have Thanksgiving here this year. Just me, you, Aunt Flora and Sheldon. What do you think?"

"I will ask him mom. Thanks for the advice." Amy said.

"So when will you see him again?" Sandy had no idea they saw each other practically every day.

"Well today is Tuesday so we have dinner at the Cheesecake Factory." Amy answered.

"Is this a routine?" She asked.

"We eat out there every week. Penny works there so I get to see her at work during the week. Sheldon and I have a standing date night on Thursdays and Saturdays. But I have to admit I see him a lot."

"Okay then. So if you are ready to tell him, then tell him. I think you will feel much better."

"Thanks mom. I will talk to you on Sunday. Love you." Amy said.

"Love you too." Sandy said and hung up. She looked at a picture of her husband and started to talk to it. "Our little girl is in love. Isn't that wonderful?"

She smiled thinking that Jerry Fowler would have loved to see his daughter in love. They had such dreams for Amy when she was little. It was a shame that he couldn't see what a wonderful woman she had turned into.

Amy was certain now that she loved Sheldon. She knew she had to tell him. She just didn't know how to go about doing it though. She decided she would tell him on Thursday night during their date night. They were going to the Indian restaurant they went to on their fourth date from the zoo. She was super excited because they hadn't been there in a while. Sheldon was beginning to try new places as long as he pre-approved them by thoroughly researching the facility online. They had found several restaurants they really enjoyed.

They enjoyed a wonderful dinner and afterwards went back to Amy's apartment because Leonard and Priya were having a double date with Howard and Bernadette. Sheldon didn't like Priya very much so he had not wanted to go on a double date with them. Amy was grateful because she really disliked Priya. That woman was making her bestie sad and she didn't appreciate it. She tolerated her when they were all together but wished she didn't need to see her.

When they got back to the apartment Amy immediately went to the kitchen and put a pot on to boil and got her tea bags down out of the cabinet.

"What kind would you like tonight?" She asked Sheldon as she chose chamomile for herself. She was extremely nervous about what she wanted to say. She needed to calm her nerves.

"I think I will go with chamomile tonight." Sheldon said to her.

"Okay" She said and put a second bag into his cup.

When the tea was finished she came over to the couch and handed him his cup. She sat down next to him and took a sip from her cup.

"So do you want to watch a movie?" She asked him. It was still early and she hoped he wanted to stay a bit later.

"Sure." He said. What he really wanted was to kiss her but he would wait patiently for the time.

"Have you ever seen The Princess Bride?" She asked him.

"Of course I have. Not my favorite but it's enjoyable." He answered.

"Well how about we watch that one?" She asked.

"That sounds good to me." He replied.

She got the movie out of her entertainment system and sat down on the couch next to him. He immediately put his arm around her and she snuggled into him. The movie was long forgotten about thirty minutes later when Sheldon and Amy started making out on her couch. It started when he casually leaned down to give her a quick peck on the lips. Amy was not content to end there. She deepened the kiss and he reciprocated eagrly and soon they were lost in their own passion. Slowly he lowered her down on the couch covering her body with his own and decided to try something a little bolder. Confident that if she didn't want it she would have no problem telling him, he cautiously moved his right hand to her breast and massaged it gently through her clothes. Amy did not stop him. She seemed to be enjoying it and sighed as he continued his assault on her lips. Embolded by the noises he was eliciting from her he slipped his hand under her cardigan. Still she didn't stop him and actually sat up so he could take it off. When he moved his hand to go under her blouse she grabbed his hand to prevent it.

"I'm sorry." She said to him still laying underneath him

"Will you stop apologizing. I told you, let me know if I am making you uncomfortable and I will stop. You don't have to apologize if you aren't ready. I will only go as fast as you want me to go. Please trust me."

"I do trust you. It's just…." She was at a loss for words. She loved this man and she couldn't tell him. "I'm scared."

"What are you scared of?" He asked.

"My feelings for you." She answered.

"Amy, again, please hear me. I know I told you I love you and I do. That is why I say it every time…" But he was cut off.

"I love you too." She said as he descended on her lips again.

**So she does love him. I will move this story ahead, I hope you all like what I am doing with Leonard and Priya. I want Penny to be there when Howard proposes. And do you all remember negotiations in Isolation? I have some fun things planned for that...it may become M rated then. **

**Reviews help me write faster. **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So thank you thank you thank you to all my reviewers and followers. I am having so much fun with this story. Amy loves Sheldon and we will see some more loving and feels in this chapter. This is going to have to be an M rated chapter for some good time loving. **

**As always thanks to Boys3allC for helping me out.**

**I don't own any of this...**

"_Amy, again, please hear me. I know I told you I love you and I do. That is why I say it every time…" But he was cut off._

"_I love you too." She said as he descended on her lips again._

"Do you really?" He asked after they came up for air putting his hands gently on either side of her face.

"I do." She tells him looking into his eyes "I am sorry that it, took a while for me to realize it. I think I have known for some time but I thought it was too soon. Even when you said it to me, I asked myself if I felt the same. You then took the pressure off me that I didn't have to say it back so I held back."

"So what made you decide to tell me now?" He asked smiling at her so glad that she had finally said it back.

"Because it was the right time. We have been getting closer and closer and it just seemed right. I know we have been only dating for five months but I find myself thinking about you constantly. I look forward to seeing you each and every time we go out or hang out in your apartment. My stomach does flips when I see you. If this isn't love, I have an alien parasite growing in me." Placing her hand lightly on her stomach.

"Well that sounds silly." He says cocking his head to the side and putting his hand on her stomach. "Where would you have gotten an alien parasite?" He asked as he tickled her stomach.

"Sheldon!" She laughed, swatting his hands away.

"I'm sorry, I was trying to see if I could feel your alien parasite ." He saidlaughing along with her. "So now what?" He said after he stopped laughing.

"Well I wouldn't mind if we kissed some more." She said to him scooting close to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

Sheldon didn't need to be asked twice and he eagerly wrapped his hands around her waist. Then he leaned in close and kissed her again softly at first then building. They kissed so ardently and for so long that at the end of the night they both had very swollen lips.

"So are you coming for Chinese tomorrow night?" He asked her as he was getting ready to leave, hoping the answer was yes.

"Of course, it is Friday, but I think Penny wants to have a girls' night while you guys play your video games. So I will probably go over there instead of hanging around while you play your games. Will Leonard be joining you guys tomorrow or will he be out with Priya?"

"I have no idea about him anymore.." Sheldon sighed.

"Do you think it is serious with them?"

"No clue, why do you ask?" Sheldon asked curiously.

"Well I kind of feel for Penny. It is hard for her watching them. She told me she made a mistake letting Leonard go."

"I knew it! She really loves him doesn't she?"

"Yeah but she will never admit it."

"Why do you think that is?" He asked her.

"Well for one, he is with Priya. Pennywould never want Leonard to cheat on Priya with her. Even if she is kind of hoping they will break up soon."

"I think if Leonard knew about Penny's feelings, he would break up with her. I think he thinks it is serious with Priya but is only fooling himself. I know her type, she will never marry him. Because he isn't Indian. I think this whole affair is just Priyarebelling against her parents."

"I thought the same thing. She won't tell her parents about him. She told Bernadette and I at dinner one night. ." Amy said.

"Well enough about them. I will see you tomorrow night then." He said giving her one last kiss on the cheek and walking to the door.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?" She asked following him.

"No, I have no issues taking the bus. It will be here in a few minutes and it is getting late. I don't want you driving this late." He said sincerely thinking if anything happened to her it would be his fault and he could never forgive himself.

"You're sweet but I don't mind." She said wanting to drive him so she could spend as much time as possible with him. It was silly but she missed him so much when he left.

"Well we are not going to argue about this. I have to get going if I want to make that bus." He gave her another kiss goodnight. "I love you." He said.

"I love you too." She said, closing the door to her apartment.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day Amy went to work with a huge smile plastered on her face.. Thrilled that she had finally admitted her feelings about Sheldon and it had gone well. Hannah noticed yet another change in her boss's demeanor and had to ask.

"Amy, you look really happy this morning. Anything special happen that put that smile on your face?" She asked

"Well it was date night for Sheldon and I and it was amazing." ." Amy answered.

"Oh yeah?" Hannah said. " Do tell?"

"Well we went to that Indian place I love then we went back to my apartment where we watched a movie."

"Did you really watch it?" She asked knowing that there had to be more to it with a smile like that.

"Well the first ten minutes, I think. I kind of lost track when he started kissing me." Amy answered blushing.

"So you made out. Did it go any further?" Hannah was so happy for her boss. She knew that Amy was in love but had been told she wasn't ready to tell him.

"Well he got me out of my cardigan." She told her.

"Amy! Did you guys?" Hannah asked excited. It was about time Amy got some.

"No, no that didn't happen." She said.

"Oh." Hannah said disappointed.

"But I did tell him I loved him."

"Oh my God! That is so great. I knew you loved him. You have been so happy for the last few months. I am so glad you finally admitted it. How did he take it?"

"Well we talked about it. He has said to me so…"

"Wait he said it to you? How come I didn't know about this? Is this why you were asking all those questions about whether it was too soon or not?"

"He told me in Big Sur. I could have sworn I told you." Amy said.

"I think I would have remembered that. So you lead him on for a month? You are becoming quite the tease .

"I didn't lead him on! I felt the same way I just realize it. He took the pressure off of me to say it back so I didn't. I wasn't 100% sure then but now I am."

"I am so happy for you. What plans do you have for tonight. I know you see him a lot."

"Actually we are having dinner with the gang and then Penny and I and maybe Bernadette are having girls' night. The guys play vintage video games on Friday nights."

"Well that sounds like fun."

"Hey would you like to join us? I am sure Penny wouldn't mind." Amy said.

"I would love to but I have dinner plans with my parents tonight. Maybe some other time." Hannah answered. She would have loved to meet the rest of her friends.

Hannah had met Sheldon a few times when he came to have lunch with Amy. As soon as she met him she could tell that he was definitely smitten with her boss. Hannah couldn't believe they used their whole lunch hours to travel across town just to eat lunch with each other. But they took turns every other week. .

"Maybe some other time then, I can let you know when we are going out again. Usually we do Fridays because the guys play their silly video games, but sometimes Penny or Bernadette has to work and then two of us end up staying in. It is usually at Penny's apartment."

"That sounds great. I look forward to it."

"Okay so that's enough chitchat, let's get to work." Amy said. They had just begun the study the effects of cigarettes on Capuchin monkeys.

"Well Ricky seems to be doing very well so far. He is up to three cigarettes a day."

"Maybe we should up him to five next week what do you think?" Amy asked her.

"Sounds good. Should we start the others yet?"

"I don't think so. Let's see if the others react when Ricky is given more. Let's see if the peer pressure thing works with monkeys. And besides Ricky looks cooler than the rest."

"It's not that hard." Hannah said. "Although it's not much of a contest. The other monkeys just sit around and masturbate."

"So true." Amy said and laughed.

They worked the rest of the day and when they were finished they cleaned up and locked up for the weekend. Amy headed home to change and get ready for dinner. She had gotten a text saying everyone was going to be there for dinner, except for Priya, who had a work dinner she had to attend.

When Amy arrived at Sheldon's apartment, she found all the guys and just Penny.

"Where's Bernadette?" Amy asked after greeting Sheldon with a kiss.

"Oh unfortunately she is at work. She has been finishing up work for school and needed the days off. She finally finished her latest paper but needed to work. She was able to get a night shift tonight." Howard answered.

"That's a shame." Amy said disappointed. She liked the little blonde spitfire.

"So it's just you and me tonight." Penny said.

"Sounds good to me. Are we just going to stay in then?" Amy asked.

"Yeah it seems senseless to go out with just two of us."

The group ate their meals and then the girls got up to go across the hall. Sheldon walked Amy to the door.

"Come over after." He whispered. He gave her a quick kiss and then she heard him say to the guys as she closed the door. "So what are we playing tonight?"

"You guys are too cute." Penny said to her when they went into her apartment.

"I don't know what you mean." She blushed.

"Oh come on, that man is head over heels in love with you." Penny said to him.

"We already know that." She said.

"So when are you going to tell him you love him too?" Penny asked her. She had seen the signs but was going to let Amy tell her.

"I guess I can't lie to you. I told him last night." Amy answered.

"Oh my God! I am so happy for you." Penny screamed.

"You sound just like my assistant, Hannah. She said the exact same thing." Amy said.

"Sounds like a smart woman." Penny said.

"I think you would like Hannah, I invited her to join us some night. She had plans tonight. I hope that is okay with you. I told her maybe some other time." She said.

"Oh of course. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Oh I am so upset Bernadette couldn't have heard the news. But it is probably for the best, hearing how happy you two are might have bummed her out." Penny said.

"Why would my happiness make her sad?" Amy asked.

"Well she told me the other day she was getting bored with Howard. She is thinking about ending it with him. I wouldn't want her to be jealous of your happiness with Sheldon."

"Oh that is a shame they are so tiny and cute together." Amy said.

"Please don't tell anyone I told you. She told me that in strictest confidence."

"If she told you in confidence then why are you telling me this?" Amy asked still baffled by social interactions.

"I bet she would have shared if we had all been together." Penny stated.

"Well I promise I won't tell anyone." She agreed.

They had a nice night watching a silly rom-com and doing their nails. At around nine she headed over to Sheldon's as promised. Coming out of Penny's apartment she met Leonard in the hall as he was leaving the apartment.

"Are you leaving for the night?" She asked him.

"Oh yeah, Priya called, her dinner ended early, so I am heading over there. Are you going inside? Raj and Howard are still in there."

"Oh no big deal. Sheldon asked me to stop by before I left. Have a good night." Amy said to him.

"Well I guess I will see you later."

"Say hi to Priya for me." Amy said to him and walked into the apartment. The guys were just finishing up their last game when she walked in.

"I can't believe Leonard left just because Priya called." Sheldon said.

"Well he is going to have sex. I think I would choose sex over Atari any night of the week." Howard said.

"Dude, that's my sister." Raj said.

"Yeah and Amy is here. Watch your tongue." Sheldon snapped at him. "Apologize to my woman for you lewd remarks.".

"Sorry Amy." Howard called over his shoulder.

"It's okay. I met Leonard in the hall. I knew where he was headed." She said.

"Well since we can't play anymore, shall we call it a night?" Howard asked. "I think Bernie gets done in a little while. Raj do you want to go out with us to the movies?"

"Will she be okay with that?" Raj asked. He smiled at the thought.

"Yeah, she will be fine." Howard said. "So goodnight guys." He said.

"Goodnight Howard. Goodnight Rajesh." Amy said.

They left and Sheldon was busy in the kitchen. He was getting down the mugs for tea.

"Chamomile?" He asked. "I also got a new flavor, Sleepy Time."

"If I drink that, I might get too tired to drive." Amy said.

"Oh. Although you do have an overnight bag here, you could always stay the night." He stated not looking her directly in the eye. "We were planning on going to that Brian Greene lecture tomorrow morning. It would save you the trip of coming to pick me up."

Amy was flabbergasted. She started keeping that bag at his place after the trip to Big Sur. There had been several nights that she wanted to stay but she was too afraid to ask. She figured if he wanted her to stay he would just tell her. They had already shared a bed so it would not have been a big deal.

"Um, okay." She said. She was a bit nervous though. What would he be expecting from her?

"Good." He said. He saw the expression on her face. "No funny business, I promise. Well unless you want it." He he said suggestively making her stomach tighten.

"We'll see." She said. She was okay with the things they had done already which was basically what normal people would call second base. She kind of hoped that he would want to do that at least.

"So Sleepy Time then?" He asked again.

"I guess you talked me into it." She smiled at him.

"So how was girls' night?" He asked.

"I heard an interesting tidbit about Howard and Bernadette."

"Really, Amy? Gossip? I'm disappointed in you."

"Now, now. Evolutionary biologist Robin Dunbar has identified gossip as an aid to social bonding in large groups."

"Forgive my language, but poppycock."

"

What if he's right? And by not participating in gossip, society breaks down into small feral bands of tattooed motorcycle riders fighting to the death over the last few cans of tuna fish?"

"Fine. In the parlance of the urban music scene, what's the 4-1-1?"

"Bernadette is thinking about breaking up with Howard."

"I believe our nation's tuna cans are safe."

"I'm sure but what do you think about it?"

"Well it doesn't surprise me in the least. It was only a matter of time before Bernadette realized that Howard wasn't good enough for her. She is very intelligent. And let's face it he only has a master's degree."

"True. But I kind of feel sorry for him. He seems to really love her."

"Trust me; I've known Howard for years now. He will bounce back and probably be the same old creepy Howard from before."

"Yeah, Penny told me about how he was before Bernadette. She even warned me to never get in a car with him alone."

"I should hope you wouldn't do that." Sheldon said a little jealously.

"Oh please, Howard is far from my type." She smiled at him. "I hope he doesn't go back to that man. He seems so nice now."

"I guess we will find out soon enough." Sheldon said. "So enough gossip, how is your study going?"

"Well we have gotten a Capuchin monkey hooked on cigarettes."

"That is fascinating." He said.

"It is. We will be starting the others with other forms of addictions in a few weeks. We will have some only smoking a few cigarettes while Ricky smokes more and more. We also are trying to see if there is a pressure for the others to want what Ricky has."

"Interesting. I guess by establishing that you will know if peer pressure can be found in all animals then."

"That is what we are looking for." She said.

The couple sat on the couch and conversed about their work for a while. Sheldon realized it was getting late when Amy yawned for the 10th time.

"Alright little lady, time for bed." He said smacking her on the knee and getting up.

"Aw, dad just five more minutes." She joked with him.

He laughed. "No more stalling, let's go to bed." He said.

The two walked back to his room. Sheldon got Amy's bag out of the closet and handed it to her.

"You can use the bathroom first." He said.

"Thanks." She said. She made her way into the bathroom. She was nervous. This was the first real sleepover they had had in one of their apartments. She was trying to figure out why he decided this was the night but then it dawned on her. He waited until she revealed her feelings for him before inviting her to stay. Maybe he was expecting more, even though he said he wasn't. It was just like her mother had said. She had to decide if she was ready. She knew she wasn't. The only reason she had said yes was because he told her there would be no funny business.

Amy started to panic, it was all moving so fast. She loved him but she was not ready for this yet. What if he tried to pressure her into more? She decided she couldn't do it. Without getting ready, she went back in the room to tell him.

"Sheldon, I think I will sleep in Leonard's room if that is alright with you." She said.

"Why?" He was confused. He didn't invite her to stay so she would be in the other room.

"I'm not ready for whatever it is you are expecting." She said.

"What do you think I am expecting?" He asked perplexed. He had told her no funny business and he had meant it. He knew she wasn't ready. She had stopped him the night before from touching her without a shirt on. Did she really think he would want more than that from her just one night later?

"I know what you want. You want to have sex." She said.

"I don't believe I announced any intentions of deflowering you tonight. Or am I wrong? When did I tell you that?" He asked her plainly.

"I've had this bag here for over a month. This is the first time you have asked me to stay. It just so happens to be the night after I tell you I love you. That seems pretty convenient, don't you think?" She said.

"Oh Amy, you couldn't be further from the truth." He said, finally realizing why she was so upset.

"I am?" She was confused. "But my mom told me when I said I love you that you would be expecting me to sleep with you."

"I won't lie and say that I wouldn't love for that to happen but I know that you are far from ready." He told her walking over to her and placing his hands lightly on her arms. "Think about it Amy you just let me touch you last night for the first time and you still had your blouse on. Do you really think I am that big of a leech that I would ask you to stay here and expect sex?"

"I'm sorry, I panicked. I guess I was just so overwhelmed with my thoughts I hadn't thought about just asking you what you wanted."

"I'm sorry too. I just realized that you were correct. I did wait until after you said what you did last night to ask you to stay. Do you want to know why?" He asked.

"Why?" She asks quietly.

" I didn't want to put pressure on you to stay. I didn't want to put pressure on you to say something you weren't ready to say. I wanted you to be completely ready to admit your feelings before I asked. I know we slept in the same bed in Big Sur and that was a huge step for us especially after what I had said. I guess I could have asked before tonight. I understand your confusion of my mixed message but I meant it when I said no funny business. We can just sleep and nothing more."

"Now I never said that." She said putting her hands on his hips and looking up at him.

"Amy we don't have to do anything." He said.

"I know but I was thinking maybe we could explore more of what we were doing last night."

"Only if you are sure." He said to her.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. Now I am really going to go change this time. Thank you for being patient with me." She was embarrassed she had thought the wrong things about him.

"Always. I love you." He said.

She smiled "I love you too." Then she disappeared into the bathroom. Sheldon smiled at her disappearing form. He would never get enough of looking at her from behind. She was pure perfection in his eyes. Once she was gone he breathed a sigh of relief. Sheldon was grateful she listened to him and chose to stay with him. He wasn't lying to her about wanting to have sex but he could wait for her to be ready.

He tried his old practice of Kohlinar that he had used when he was fooling himself into thinking he didn't need love. But that had begun to prove ineffective recently. To better channel his excess energies he had taken to fondling himself in the shower. He had always found the practice unnecessarily messy so he like to do it where the clean up was easier. He would let the hot water cascade down his body working out the tension in is body as he touched himself and thought of the green eyed vixen who was driving him wild. Sheldon knew he was taking more showers then what was deemed appropriate. Leonard had called him out on more than one occasion as to why he was spending so much time in there. Yet it was a necessary precaution, if he was going to make this relationship work. Sheldon would have to do what he had to do to keep from going crazy. If that meant masturbating three times a day, then that is what he would do.

He decided to get into his pajamas before she came back in to the room. He grabbed his Friday pajamas and quickly changed. When she came back in he went to finish his nighttime rituals and brush his teeth When he was finished he came in and found her already lying in bed underneath the covers So he climbed in next to her and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist.

Amy rolled over to face him. She leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips. He deepened the kiss immediately massaging his tongue against hers nibbling on her lower lip. Then he began to kiss a trail down her neck gently biting and sucking on her tender flesh. His hands moved to her breasts and sought permission with his eyes to touch her. Amy nodded her consent and he gently massaged her breasts which elicited a moan from her. Amy was wearing a two piece silk pajama set and no bra. He reveled in the feel of her, how her full breasts felt in his hands, the firm peaks of her nipples pressing against his thumbs. He made a bold move and moved his hand under her shirt and put his hand on her stomach. She did not stop him this time so he slowly moved his hand to her breasts. She stiffened and gasped when he first touched her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, moving his hand back down to her stomach

"Yes. It just took me off guard for a minute." She said. "Go ahead."

"Are you sure?" He asked looking deep in her eyes seeking permission.

"Yes, please, it feels really good." She told him moving his hand back up and placing it on her breast.

Sheldon didn't need to be told twice and he moved both hands under her shirt He began to once again massage her breasts. She made an inaudible moan and he smiled and bent down to kiss her neck.. He knew she was enjoying the new sensation he was causing her. He had read that some women could have an orgasm just by stimulation of the breasts and he wanted to discover if Amy was one of them. Sheldon knew in order to achieve his goal he would need her shirt off. He gently tugged at the bottom and lifted it up exposing her breasts Amy didn't seem to want him to stop his actions so she sat up and took it off for him. He took his own off and then they lay back down together. She was a bit self-conscience and tried to cover herself. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" He asked gazing lovingly down at her, marveling at the perfection of her porcelain flesh.

"No I am not." She said.

"You are and don't ever forget it." He said. He kissed her again and with his eyes told her how much he loved her. She forgot all about being naked from the waist up and kissed him with as much passion as she could. She wanted him to feel how much she loved him from her kiss. Amy loved the sensation of her skin pressed up against his and she rubbed her breasts against his bare chest making him moan. Sheldon broke from the kiss leaving her breathless, then kissing his way down her neck and across her collar bone. When he reached her breasts he loomed up at her with a question in his eyes. Amy nodded yes and he gathered her rose tipped breasts in his hands gently squeezing them, rubbing the pink tips with his thumb and forefingers making her squirm and whine. He then took her left breast in his mouth and suckled it gently, flicking his tongue across the peak and she gasped. The sensation was overwhelming to her. Nothing had ever made her feel this good before. Moisture was pooling in her core and her pulse was racing. Then he took her hardened right nipple and gently tugged on it causing her to buck against him and seek friction and release he moved over top of her and wrapped her legs around his waist.. He smiled at her as he then took her right breast in his mouth and did the same thing.

"Oh my God, Sheldon. Don't stop." She said, moaning as she bucked against him and he continued to switch between each breasts sucking on one and tugging on the other.

"I wasn't planning on it." He smirked, beyond please that he was making her come undone. A few minutes later she shuttered and screamed his name running her fingers through his hair. He sat up and gently kissed her lips then laid down beside her.

"Wow." She said as she came down from her high. She snuggled close to him too spent to say or do anything else.

"I need to go to the bathroom." He said to her before she got too comfortable. His need was beyond unbearable and he would have to go take care of it.

"Oh okay." She said to him. She had a feeling what the problem was but didn't know what to say to him.

He rolled over to get off of the bed. He tried to hide his obvious erection from her.

"Sheldon are you alright?" She asked seeing the unmistakable bulge in his pajamas. She had been right and now she was correct about his need to go to the bathroom.

"I will be. Just give me a few minutes." He said.

"I could help if you want." She said shyly. She wanted to cause him as much pleasure as he had just given her.

"You don't have to." He said.

"I want to." Amy told him boldly, wanting nothing more in that moment to help him.

"Um, okay, only if you are sure." He climbed back into bed laying flat on his back.

"You are going to have to help me out here. I don't know what I am doing." She said.

He took her hand and placed it on his bulge and left it there. He hadn't taken his pants off yet but she knew he would have to for it to work. She rubbed the area, tracing the line of his erection and he started to groan. She felt bold so she put her hand into his pajama bottoms and rubbed him through his underwear. He bucked his hips into her hand and she was encouraged she was doing it right. She pulled on his pants and underwear until he helped her take them off. Her eyes grew wide when she saw how large he truly was. She had never seen a man before.

She took his length in his hand and started to slide her hand up and down, starting at the base and moving up to the head stroking him softly and slowly. He was in ecstasy. She could see it in his face and it turned her on to know she was doing this to him. He groaned and continued to buck his hips against her hand wanting so much more but so happy with what he was getting.

"Hold it a little tighter." He instructed her. She complied holding him tighter and moving up and down with a bit more force and he moaned even louder. "Oh god Amy! You have no idea what you are doing to me." He called and a few minutes later he grabbed a tissue from the nightstand as he felt his release and collapsed on the bed.

"Thank you." He said to her. "Now if you will excuse me, I really need to go use the bathroom and take care of this mess."

"Okay." She said.

When he left the room, she sat up on the bed. She couldn't believe she had just done that with him. She had never felt so turned on in her life. What he had done to her was just amazing. It had not felt dirty or wrong, it was erotic and sexy. Laying in his bed her heart still racing she thought she would like to try more with him. Maybe not sex just yet but she wanted to see what other pleasure he could give her body. He came back in a few minutes later and joined her on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a gentle kiss.

"I love you." He said to her.

"I love you too." She said.

"Goodnight, Amy."

"Goodnight, Sheldon."

They fell asleep both completely satisfied and completely in love.

**Okay we will move on now that the gossip is spread. I think I know what the next rumor will be...and then a proposal. **

**Reviews help me write this faster. **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who is making this story worth writing. I am so excited every time I get another review, good or bad. This means at least people are reading it. So anyway on with the story. I know Sheldon is definitely OOC for this story but I want him to still have some of his same quirks. There are routines he follows such as his Saturday morning Dr. Who fix. I love his quirks and I wouldn't want him to change them and neither does Amy so enjoy! Oh and a fun rumor gets spread. **

**Thanks to Boys3allC for helping me find words for a frustrated Sheldon and an emotional Amy. I love these guys so much and you help me write them even better. **

**I don't own them...**

_They fell asleep both completely satisfied and completely in love_.

Sheldon was up at 6:15 on Saturday morning just like always. It was a weekly thing. He got up, went into the kitchen, made his cereal and then watched Doctor Who. He wasn't sure what he should do this particular morning because of Amy. He didn't want to wake her but he knew he would never be able to go back to sleep. Not only because his internal clock woke him up but because he really needed to relieve his bladder. Also lying next to her was causing him some difficulties. Amy was curled into his side and his arm was pinned beneath her body. If he continued cuddling her like this, his growing problem was going to be very clear to her. Slowly he moved his arm out from under her and scooted away. She stirred a bit but did not wake up. He was able to get out of bed without waking her. When he was finished in the bathroom, he wasn't sure what to do. He had to decide if he should go back in the room or watch Doctor Who. She made it easier for him when she came wandering out of his room, yawning and looking sleepy.

"I was wondering where you went." She said to him.

" I am up every Saturday at this time." He answered.

"Why?" She asked. "It is awfully early on a Saturday morning."

"Well this may seem weird to you but I like to watch Doctor Who. It comes on at 6:30." He answered her.

"Don't let me stop you. If you don't mind though, I am going to go back to bed." She said.

"Okay." He said. He wasn't sure what the protocol was. The last two times he slept with a girl they were gone before he got up the next morning. This was different. He had invited her to stay and she didn't leave, which he didn't want. It was refreshing to know she was there.

"Sheldon, I don't want you to change your routine for me. I know you have to have this kind of structure. So please don't stop because of me. I don't want you to change. I love you just the way you are." She said.

"Thank you." He said. He went over to her and gave her a hug. Then he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Now you go watch your show while I get some more sleep." She said.

He smiled as she turned around and headed back to his room. Amy was the greatest. He loved that she didn't want him to change for her. He walked into the kitchen and got his cereal ready. He sat down in his spot and turned on his show. Sheldon was feeling more content then he had in a long time. A few minutes after Dr. Who started, Leonard walked in from his room.

"I thought you were with Priya." Sheldon commented.

"After I picked her up, we decided to come back here instead of putting Raj on the couch again." Leonard said.

"Well that is considerate." Sheldon told him taking a bite of cereal. "Oh, and just to let you know, Amy is here. She is sleeping still.." Sheldon said.

"I figured she was here, I saw her coat when we arrived home." Leonard said by way of explanation when Sheldon looked at him oddly. "So did you guys…? You know?"

"No not yet and I won't put any pressure on her to do it either." Sheldon told him.

"I never thought you would. She is special to you isn't she?" Leonard asked.

"Very. I see a real future with her." Sheldon said to him.

"I'm happy for you." Leonard said.

"Oh speaking of futures, Amy told me some juicy gossip last night." Sheldon said.

"Oh yeah? What's the gossip?" Leonard asked.

"Oh, please, I was just pointing it out. Hanging out with Penny has made Amy a bit of a Gabby Gerite. I have no desire to engage in the activity." Sheldon answered.

"Fine, don't tell me." Leonard commented, not really caring. He could probably get the information from Penny later.

"All right, get this. Bernadette is thinking about breaking up with Howard." Sheldon blurted out.

"Oh. That's too bad. I wonder what happened." Leonard thought out loud.

"Mm, it's hard to say. I can only speculate based on the data I collected watching my parents' marriage implode. In that case, the woman dives into religion, while the man dives into a bottle-blonde bartender who tries to buy my love with action figures." Sheldon answered.

Priya walked out from Leonard's bedroom at that point. "Good morning." She greeted them.

"Hey you. How did you sleep?" Leonard asked.

"Good and you?" Priya asked.

"Good." He answered. Sheldon rolled his eyes.

"Oh I meant to tell you last night, a fellow at work said I could use his Dodger tickets this weekend. Does that sound like fun?" Priya asked.

"Yeah! Dodgers are baseball, right?" Leonard asked.

"You'll need to explain the game to me." Priya said to him.

"Mm, it's complicated, but as I remember it, the essentials are, get chosen last, get hit by the ball, cry, go home." Leonard said.

"Well, regardless, I've got four tickets, and I was thinking we can bring Bernadette and Howard. She's really interesting, and I bet I can get used to him."

Sheldon, who was listening, laughed at this. Most people had to get used to Howard.

"Well, it might not be a great idea to invite those two." Leonard told her.

"Why not?" Priya asked.

"Sheldon just told me that he heard she might be breaking up with him." Leonard answered.

"You told Leonard?" Amy asked as she came walking out from the bedroom.

"Good morning Amy." Priya said to her. She wasn't surprised to see her..

"Good morning. Sheldon why did you tell Leonard? Penny told me that in the strictest confidence." Amy said.

"Well then why did you tell me?" Sheldon said unsure why Amy is so angry.

"I'm not sure now." Amy said disappointed. He walked over to her and hugged her.

"I'm sorry. You told me and I told him. I bet Penny wasn't supposed to tell anyone either."

"She wasn't. Bernadette told her in confidence too." Amy said.

"I do know one person for whom that's good news." Priya weighed in.

"Oh yeah who is that?" Amy asked.

"My brother. He has a huge crush on Bernadette." Priya answered.

"Oh geez." Sheldon said. "More gossip."

"Well let's not say anything to anyone about this. Agreed?" Amy said.

"Agreed." The others said.

"Well since those two are out, would you guys want to come to the game with us?" Priya asked them.

"Sure why not. My dad used to take me to Angels games all the time when I was little." Amy answered.

"I suppose it could be fun." Sheldon said. He wasn't fond of Priya but if Amy wanted to go then he could handle her for an evening.

"Great, then it's settled." Priya said. "I've got to go. My mom and dad are calling us this morning." She said, kissing Leonard goodbye.

Amy and Sheldon went to the Brian Greene lecture and had a good time. By the time they got back the rumor had spread all the way to Raj. Priya had told him all about it when their parents were afraid she was dating Howard. He even showed up at the Cheesecake Factory to hit on Bernadette. Penny was not happy with Amy for spreading the rumor. She called her and yelled. Amy pointed out that she actually started the rumor. Penny withdrew her complaint immediately.

On Monday, the guys were all sitting at lunch when Howard told them he had made an important decision about Bernadette and his relationship.

"I'm gonna ask her to marry me." Howard told them.

"Marry you?" Leonard asked.

"What?" Raj said.

"Yeah. I just need to figure out the right time to pop the question."

"Oh, I'd wait." Leonard told him.

"No rush, no rush." Raj weighed in.

"Excuse me." Howard said as his phone rang. "Oh, great. It's my cousin David about the ring." He answered it. "Hey, David, what'd you find?" He said walking away from the table. "Oh, sure, a half a carat's fine. Her freakishly small hands make anything look big. It's one of the reasons I love her."

"Man, he's going to be blindsided." Leonard said looking at Howard in concern.

"I know. It'll be awful." Raj said smiling.

"Why are you smiling?" Sheldon asked him. He was probably thrilled that Howard would be devastated when Bernadette ended it with him.

"Yeah, Raj, why?" Leonard asked. He couldn't believe his friend was happy his best friend was about to get his heart ripped out.

"Uh, a smile means something different in my country. You know tears of joy, smile of sadness. India's a goofy place." Raj answered. He didn't have any idea that his sister had told them that he was in love with Bernadette.

"Oh well it sure is if that is the case." Sheldon said.

Later that evening, Sheldon and Amy were sitting on the couch having a conversation about Ricky, the cigarette smoking monkey.

"So we have upped him today to five cigarettes. He seems to be enjoying this even more."

"What are the other monkeys doing?" Sheldon asked interested.

"Well they are still mostly masturbating and flinging their feces. But a few have taken to trying to get a cigarette from Ricky."

"That is interesting. I would love to hear more once you have more evidence that supports the peer pressure results."

"I will let you know."

"So anyway, today at work, Howard announced his intentions to propose marriage to Bernadette."

"Seriously? That makes no sense. I thought Bernadette was going to end it with him." Amy said.

"The group consensus is that his proposal will be met with a humiliating, soul-crushing rejection. Everyone was set a-twitter. Although oddly, no one tweeted." Sheldon said.

"This is very interesting. Do you realize how quickly gossip spreads in our group?" Amy asked.

"I have noticed that we seen to tell each other everything." Sheldon answered.

"How about we try a little experiment?" Amy suggested.

"What kind of experiment?" Sheldon was intrigued.

"I was thinking we could see how fast something we do becomes the gossip around our group."

"What did you have in mind?" Sheldon loved this woman even more. "I love experimenting on humans, especially when they have no idea."

"So here it is. Leonard knows that I have spent the night, right?" She asked.

"Of course, he saw you on Saturday morning. But what kind of rumor could be started. I told him the truth that we did nothing." Sheldon said.

"Well we did some things." Amy said.

"That is not what I meant." He said.

"I know. Well what if we let them think we were lying then we act as if I am pregnant."

"I love it. But how do we do it without outright saying it."

"We act more affectionate around each other."

"That won't be hard." Sheldon said pulling her close to him. He kissed her on the side of the head.

"Yes well then as we are getting more and more affectionate, you could casually rub my belly or kiss my belly. It might get them talking."

"This is very interesting. I am curious as to how this will go." He said. "Look at you getting me to engage in the social sciences. You're a vixen Amy Farrah Fowler."

"It's what I do." She said laughing. Sheldon tickled her. "Sheldon!" She laughed again but this time she was going to get her revenge. She tickled him back.

"Okay Amy, I think that is enough." He said laughing. She continued her assault on him. He grabbed her arms and put them over her head. "Now what are you going to do?" He said laughing as she struggled to get out of his grip.

"Okay I promise I won't tickle you anymore." She said sweetly.

"Why do I not trust you?" Sheldon said suspiciously.

"I have no idea." She laughed.

Instead of letting go of her hands, Sheldon leaned in and kissed her. Still holding her hands up above her head he kissed her deeper, exploring the depth of her mouth. Slowly he let them down wrapping her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss. Sheldon wrapped his arms around her. Soon his hands were exploring more than her waist. His lips left her lips and worked on her neck biting and sucking her soft flesh. Slowly he lowered her down on the couch covering her with his body.

"It's getting late." He said taking a breath between kisses.

"It is." She agreed breathless.

"Stay tonight." He said looking into her eyes pleading.

"Okay." She answered looking back into his eyes. At that moment she would have agreed to anything.

He continued his assault on her neck while his hands were unbuttoning her cardigan. When it was off he started on her blouse.

"Sheldon, should we go to the bedroom?" She asked.

"Leonard told me he was definitely staying at Raj's tonight." He said not wanting to stop what he was doing.

"I think I would still feel more comfortable in your room." She said, but as Sheldon continued to kiss her, she soon forgot about being in the living room until Penny came barging in through the front door.

"Howard is going to propose?" She shouted and then realized what she was interrupting. "Oh my God guys, I am so sorry." She said and quickly closed the door.

Amy sat up embarrassed and quickly buttoned her blouse back up. Sheldon straightened out his pants. Amys eyes got wide as he adjusted the large bulge in them as he got up from the couch. "This isn't over." He whispered in her ear, as he walked towards the door. He knew Penny would be just on the other side.

"Well hello Penny, to what do we owe the honor of your unannounced presence?" He asked sarcastically.

"I really am sorry." Penny said walking in the apartment.

"We will get back to that. Now what do you want?"

"I got a text from Leonard earlier telling me that Howard plans to propose to Bernadette." Penny said.

"Amazing." Sheldon said.

"What is amazing?" Penny was confused.

"It took less than eight hours for everyone in our social group to know about this." Sheldon answered.

"Told you." Amy said pointedly.

"Yes, Penny, Howard plans to propose. We have no idea how Bernadette will react because according to you, she plans to end the relationship." Sheldon said to her. "Now getting back to you barging in on us."

"Listen, I had no idea what I was going to walk in on. It is not like you make out with girls all the time. Although when you were dating Ramona…" She started.

"Okay Penny, I think it is time you leave." Sheldon said angrily. How dare she bring up a past girlfriend in front of Amy?

Penny knew she had crossed a line. She looked at Sheldon and she could tell he was not kidding about leaving the apartment. She walked to the door and opened it. Before she left she turned around.

"I am sorry for interrupting and sorry for my mouth." Penny said to him.

"It's okay. Just knock next time." Sheldon said.

"You could lock the door." Penny suggested and left.

Sheldon walked over to the door and turned the lock.

"This should keep her out. Now if Leonard comes back, we will at least hear him." Sheldon said. "Although now that I think about it, maybe we should continue what we started in the bedroom." He said. He then noticed Amy's face. Penny had gotten to her with her talk about Ramona. "Amy?" He looked at her and saw her expression. She was upset. "What is it?" He asked.

"Nothing." She said to him.

"Amy if this has something to do with what Penny said." Sheldon started.

"It's partially that and I am a bit embarrassed by what she saw." She admitted.

"Oh please. When she was dating Leonard I walked in on way worse than what you and I were doing." He said. "And as far as what she said about Ramona, she only ever walked in on us kissing, I swear."

"Sheldon I know you have a past…" Amy began but Sheldon interrupted.

"Yes Amy a past. You are my present and hopefully my future." Sheldon said to her. He already envisioned her walking down the aisle at their wedding but since they had been dating only six months, he wasn't quite ready to do what Howard was planning.

"I see a future with you as well." Amy said.

That was all Sheldon needed to hear as he kissed her passionately. Getting past her embarrassment and slight jealousy, she reciprocated and soon they were back to where they had been before Penny had interrupted.

"I say we go to the bedroom now." Sheldon said. Amy just nodded. They got up and went to the bedroom.

Sheldon laid Amy down on his bed and began kissing her again. His hands were already working the buttons off her blouse again while she was pulling up his shirts. He stopped kissing her long enough to help her peel the shirts over his head, then went back to kissing her. Amy pulled her blouse off, peeling the garment down her arms and was in just her bra. He stopped for a moment to look at her, enjoying how sexy she looked before he kissed her again. Sheldon was beyond turned on. He wanted to see all of her. He reached down to unzip her skirt and she froze. Sheldon stopped immediately when he felt her tremble in his arms and knew it was too soon.

"Why don't we stop for tonight?" He said getting off her.

"I'm sorry." Amy whispered

"Dammit Amy stop apologizing." He said the frustration leaking out in his voice. He was not angry but it came off like he was.

Amy was shocked, and she started to cry. She knew he would get frustrated with her eventually. Sheldon felt bad. He did not mean for her to cry. He was not mad at all. He pulled her in for a hug. "Don't cry. I am not mad. I swear."

"Are you sure? It seems like you are." She said.

"I'm frustrated that you think you have to keep apologizing to me. If you aren't ready we won't do it. You have to trust me. Now why don't you go and get your nightgown on and we can just cuddle tonight."

"Okay." She said. After Penny's interruption and her teary outburst, tonight did not seem like the best night for hanky panky. She grabbed her clothes from the drawer he had emptied for her after Friday night and went in the bathroom.

When she came back in, Sheldon was already in his pajamas. He went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and came back in. He climbed into bed and pulled Amy close.

"Goodnight." He said. "I love you."

"I love you too. Goodnight."

He placed a soft peck on her lips and settled in for the night.

The next morning Amy dropped Sheldon off at work. They had formulated their plan for getting everyone to believe she was pregnant. At the Cheesecake Factory that night, they decided to start the deceit. The first thing they did was act like no one else was around them. They cuddled and giggled quietly together. More than once they had to be interrupted to be asked a question.

On Wednesday, Amy came in to the apartment carrying a huge bag. Sheldon ran to her side.

"Should you be lifting something this heavy?" Sheldon said.

"I don't see why not. It is perfectly safe." She answered him.

Leonard was confused but then later when Amy stood on a chair to reach something, Sheldon freaked out. He yelled at her to get down and told her under no uncertain circumstance was she to climb on the furniture.

"Relax Sheldon, I am fine. Geez, you'd think I was carrying precious cargo or something." Amy said nonchalantly.

Leonard and Priya exchanged looks. They wondered if they were thinking the same thing as the other. That night it was brought up in conversation.

"Do you think Amy is pregnant?" Priya asked Leonard.

"Why would you think that?" He asked her.

"Well the way Sheldon was treating her. He wouldn't let her carry the heavy bags. He almost had a heart attack when she climbed on the chair to get the mugs. And I noticed his hand on her belly more than once."

"No I don't think she could be. Sheldon told me they hadn't had sex yet. So unless it is the Immaculate Conception, I think Sheldon is just being overprotective."

"Maybe you are right. Let's see how they act over the next few days." Priya said.

On Thursday night everyone was at the apartment for pizza. About halfway through dinner Amy ran out of the room and said she felt sick. Sheldon ran after her. Everyone in the room was concerned.

"Oh poor thing, I hope she is alright." Bernadette said.

"She probably ate something bad." Penny said.

"I think she is pregnant." Priya added. The group all looked at her in shock.

"What makes you say that?" Penny asked.

Priya told the group about dinner the previous evening.

"And he was constantly touching her stomach, much like he has been tonight. Hasn't anyone else noticed but me?" She finished.

"You know what?" Raj said. "He has been more affectionate with her tonight. Usually they sit together but tonight he has been up every few minutes getting her something. And now he is back there holding her hair while she pukes. I think Priya is right, Amy is pregnant."

Back in the hallway, Sheldon was listening. He heard every word they were saying. He went into the bathroom where Amy was sitting on the side of the tub.

"I believe we may have fooled them." Sheldon said.

"What makes you say that?" She asked.

"They outright said it. Well Raj and Priya anyway. This is truly amazing."

"What that they think I am or that they are talking about it?" She asked.

"Both. We didn't even need to start a rumor to have it spread throughout the group."

"Should we tell them the truth?" She asked.

"No let's wait and see if one of them comes to us." He answered.

No one said a word to them when they returned from the bathroom. And no one said anything for another week. Sheldon continued to act as if Amy was fragile piece of glass and wouldn't let her do anything. He was constantly hugging and kissing her and had his hand permanently attached to her stomach. They were beginning to get concerned that no one would broach the subject with them.

A week after they began the experiment, the group was together for Friday night Chinese food. The girls were going to go to Penny's after and gossip. Amy had taken to staying at Sheldon's on Fridays and Saturdays and even the occasional Sunday.

Howard's plans had not been mentioned nor had Bernadette's thoughts about ending the relationship. The couple seemed to be getting along fine. After everyone had their food and were settled in to eat, Howard stood up.

"Hey, everybody, I got something I want to ask Bernadette, and I can't think of a better time than when I'm with all my friends."

Everyone knew what was about to happen. They were certain that Howard was about to have his heart ripped open.

"Oh, hold on, Howard. There's lots of better times." Leonard said to him. He couldn't let his friend make this mistake. He had learned the hard way to wait longer before jumping in feet first.

"Leonard, please. The man is talking. Let him get it out, and let the chips fall where they may." Raj commented. He couldn't wait to see the look on his friend's face.

"Thank you." Howard said and then got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. "Bernadette Maryann Rostenkowski…" He began but she cut him off.

"Oh, God. What's happening?" Bernadette had conflicting emotions running through her head. She loved Howard, but things were not perfect. She then realized things were never going to be perfect and she loved him anyway. She was thinking about Amy and how much Sheldon seemed to be standing by her in her time of need.

"I know things haven't been perfect with us, and we've had our problems, but I just have to tell you, from the moment I…" He continued but she cut him off again.

"Howard, let me just stop you right here." She said.

"This is it." Raj was super excited to watch the train wreck. Priya hit him.

"Yes." Bernadette answered the question that hadn't really been asked.

"Yes, what?" Howard asked

"Yes, I will marry you." She replied. She was making the right choice. She was scared about how he felt about her especially after the disaster with Glissinda the Troll. But things had been getting better.

"You will?" Howard asked.

"You will?" Raj was shocked.

"I will. I will!" Bernadette answered again.

"Oh, I love you so much." Howard said.

"Oh, I love you, too." Bernadette said back.

Everyone gathered around them to congratulate them except Raj, who was still sitting on the floor and crying.

"I wonder what changed her mind?" Amy asked Sheldon quietly before they joined in the celebration.

"No idea but I am happy for them." Sheldon answered.

"Me too."

"This calls for a celebration." Penny said. "I think I still have a bottle of champagne in my refrigerator. I'll be right back."

She came back a few minutes with a bottle.

"Champagne for everyone!" She said. She poured seven glasses and handed them around to everyone but Amy.

"Hey where's mine?" Amy asked her.

"You can't have it." Penny said.

"And why not?" Amy was laughing. She knew what was coming but she had to hear it from them.

"Because you can't. You don't drink." Penny said.

"Since when? I have had wine with you guys on many occasions." Amy was still laughing. "So why can't I have champagne now?" She asked again.

"Yeah Penny, how come she can't have any?" Sheldon asked joining Amy in the laughter.

"What is so funny?" Penny asked.

"It's probably because we know why you don't want Amy to have champagne but are too afraid to tell us." Sheldon said.

"What would we be afraid of?" Penny asked. She didn't want to be the one to bring up the pregnancy.

"The juicy gossip you think you have on us." Amy said.

"Guys what is she talking about?" Penny looked at the others.

"Are you pregnant?" Priya asked straight out. She wasn't going to beat around the bush. She was the one who originally suspected it and they were laughing too hard to admit it.

"Now where would you get that idea?" Amy asked.

"Well are you?" Penny asked.

"I'm pretty sure one must engage in sex in order to achieve a pregnancy. Am I right or did my mother teach me wrong?" Sheldon asked the group.

"So you aren't pregnant?" Penny clarified once again.

"No I am not bestie. Sheldon and I were doing an experiment to see how fast a rumor would spread around the group. It took less than a week for you all to determine I was pregnant. Yet not one of you asked me outright." Amy said.

"You guys are truly made for each other. Only Sheldon would come up with a crazy scheme like." Howard said.

"Actually I have this cute little lump of wool to thank for the idea." Sheldon said proudly hugging her.

"Why would you do that though?" Penny asked. She did not like the idea of being used in an experiment even if it was just a joke.

"Well after we all heard a certain rumor a couple of weeks ago, we thought it would be fun." Sheldon answered.

"What rumor?" Bernadette asked.

"Oh it was about an old boyfriend of mine." Penny lied easily.

"Well how come I didn't hear about it?" Bernadette asked.

"Or me?" Howard chimed in.

"I assumed Raj told Howard." Leonard said easily.

"Yeah and I thought since Penny told me she also told you." Amy said to Bernadette.

"Oh well that makes sense." Howard said. Bernadette wasn't so easily fooled but she dropped the subject. She would get it out of the girls later that night after a few drinks.

Penny poured Amy a glass of champagne and they all toasted Howard and Bernadette.

**Fun...not fun? Let me know with a review. I am going to skip ahead some because I want this story to not be boring for all of you. We don't need to visit every episode. **

**So how about next we visit dress shopping without Amy. **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers...so how about some wedding dress shopping? Yes...good here it is.**

**Thanks to Boys3allC for helping me with this chapter and letting me know some things sounded rushed. I hope this isn't as rushed now. Thanks much!**

**I don't own these characters...**

_Penny poured Amy a glass of champagne and they all toasted Howard and Bernadette. _

After everyone toasted and finished congratulating the happy couple the girls retreated to Penny's to talk and watch a movie. They stayed in the apartment and guys had their vintage video game night. Priya did not want to watch the guys play video games . Penny invited her to come over she declined, not wanting to spend time with Penny either and left right after dinner. Once inside Penny's apartment, Bernadette rounded on Amy and Penny.

"Okay what does everyone know that I don't?" She said.

"I told you, it was about an ex-boyfriend of mine." Penny said.

"We both know that is bull shit so tell me the truth." Bernadette yelled.

"Fine." Penny said a bit frightened of Bernadette. "I told Amy that you were thinking about breaking up with Howard. She then told Sheldon and it kind of got spread throughout our group."

"You told Sheldon?" Bernadette asked Amy.

"Well it kind of came up in conversation. He asked about girls' night and I shared what I had learned. He didn't seem as if he much cared about the gossip so I was surprised that he told Leonard."

"So everyone knew?" Bernadette asked.

"I think so." Amy answered sheepishly. "I really am sorry, but look it worked out. You didn't break up and now you are getting married. That is so exciting."

"You're right! I am so happy. I wasn't sure at first what I was going to say but then I thought things were not always going to be perfect and I love Howard. And I have envisioned myself with him for the rest of my life for a while. I think I was afraid he didn't feel the same so I had thought about ending it with him before he did with me." Bernadette admitted.

"But he does feel the same and now you are getting married!" Penny exclaimed. "I never thought I would see the day that Howard Wolowitz would settle down."

"I know. He has a crazy past." Bernadette said.

"So do you know when you want to get married?" Amy asked. "I know it is too soon to pick a date, but every girl has a dream, right?"

"I've always wanted a spring wedding, maybe May or June. I know June is cliché but I love the idea of a June wedding." Bernadette answered.

"That is so sweet." Penny said. "Now enough about that, I want to get to why Amy thought it would be funny to pretend to be pregnant."

"Actually I never pretended to be pregnant." Amy countered.

"Yes you did." Penny said.

"I agree with Amy. She never said she was pregnant so technically she didn't pretend. They acted as though there was something they weren't sharing and we all just assumed she was pregnant." Bernadette said.

"Isn't that still like a lie?" Penny asked.

"If you mean lie of omission, I would say no." Bernadette answered. "Sheldon and Amy acted more in love with each other. Sheldon freaked out whenever she did something very common, like carry a heavy bag. Leonard said it came off as overprotective. Yes she did run down the hall at one point like she was sick but you and I assumed she ate something bad." Bernadette continued.

"You know what, Priya is the one that put the idea she was pregnant in our heads." Penny said. "That gossipy bitch. I bet she is the one that told Raj about Howard's impending heartbreak. Plus she told Leonard that Raj had a crush on…" But she stopped realizing what she was about to say.

"Raj has a crush on whom?" Bernadette asked curiously.

"No one." Amy tried.

"No clearly he has a crush on someone. Who is it?"

"Fine, but it means nothing now." Penny said. "Leonard told me that Raj had a huge crush on you."

"What?!" Bernadette screamed. "Oh my God, Howie can never find out about this. Do you guys understand me?"

"Well obviously." Amy said. "It would kill him to know his best friend liked his girlfriend."

"So who knows?" Bernadette asked.

"I'm pretty sure we all know." Amy answered.

"This makes it more difficult. Those guys have a tendency to tell each other things when they get angry. Let's hope it just blows over."

About a month after the engagement, Bernadette completed her doctorate program and was hired by a large pharmaceutical company that planned on paying her a lot of money. Howard got a bit intimidated by her success but was very proud of her. Leonard and Priya began to stay at Raj's apartment more and more because after the baseball game, Priya did not feel very comfortable around Amy. Amy did not like her very much and tried the entire game to make her jealous with talk about Penny. Raj was very uncomfortable in his own apartment and asked Sheldon if he could stay in Leonard's room while Leonard stayed with Priya. It had been working out so well for the first few days. Amy tried to make herself scarce in that time because Raj was already uncomfortable with Leonard and Priya she didn't want him to be the same way with her and Sheldon. A few nights after all was arranged, Raj was making dinner for Sheldon and Amy as a thank you. Penny came to join them and found out Leonard was living with Priya. She got very upset and very drunk. Raj did as well. The two of them made a huge mistake and ended up in bed together. The next morning, Penny attempted to sneak out without anyone else's knowledge. She unfortunately had no luck as Leonard had come back in the middle of the night because he found out Priya was moving back to India. Howard happened to stop by in the morning because he didn't know what to do about an expensive gift Bernadette had bought him. Penny walked into the living room to find three sets of eyes staring at her. Raj came out of the room with just the blanket wrapped around him.

"What's going on?" Leonard asked upon seeing them emerge from the bedroom.

"Oh. It's, it's not what it looks like." Penny said embarrassed. She then left the apartment and went back to her place.

That day at lunch was very uncomfortable for the guys. Sheldon was trying to wrap his head around why Penny would do something like that with Raj and Leonard was still trying to work out his feelings about Priya leaving as well as what he felt was a betrayal of friendship on the part of Raj. When Raj and Howard arrived at the table, Leonard rounded on Raj.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Leonard said to him.

"Yeah, how could you do that?" Howard asked.

"What is it to you?" Raj asked Howard, not quite knowing why Howard cared.

"I got his back." Howard said.

"Yeah, right. You're just jealous because it turns out I'm Penny's number two choice after Leonard." Raj said to him, figuring out he was jealous.

"Hey, if I wasn't engaged to Bernadette, that totally could have been me." Howard commented.

"Please. Sheldon would have been before you." Leonard said.

"Um, I don't think so." Sheldon said. "Penny is like my sister. Besides, I have Amy."

"Why do you care so much? You're dating my sister, and Penny and I are in love." Raj said ignoring Sheldon.

"What?" Leonard and Howard said together.

"You're not in love with Penny." Howard said.

"Yes, I am. The god Kamadeva has shot us with his flowery arrows of love." Raj said.

"Who?" Howard asked.

"He's the Hindu version of Cupid, but way better, because he rides a giant parrot."

"Raj, come on. You fall in love with any girl who smiles at you. A month ago, you were writing poems about his fiancee." Leonard said to him.

"I'm sorry. What?" Howard asked.

"Rubbish. He's talking rubbish." Raj replied.

"Oh, Bernadette, please play my clarinet." Leonard repeated the poem Priya had told him about.

"That could have been about anyone. Besides, you have nothing to worry about, because now I'm the dusky half of Koothrapenny." Raj said. He was hoping that Penny would accept a date with him now.

Penny, for her part was extremely embarrassed by what she had done. She asked Amy if it was possible to stay at her apartment for a few days. She knew she had to make some hard decisions. When Raj came by to ask her out she explained to him that it had been a mistake to sleep with him. She thought it would be best if they remained friends. Raj was devastated. He then thought he should come clean and explain to Penny that nothing had actually happened between them.

Time healed the wounds between the friends and Raj explained to Howard that Bernadette never came on to him. He just thought she liked him because she was always so nice to him. Things began to get back to normal between all of them.

Sheldon and Amy were getting closer during this time. Sheldon was so proud of Amy for being there for Penny. He understood that they had to cool things off for a while until things got back to normal with their friends. Once the drama was over, they progressed in their relationship nicely. Amy began spending most weekends at his apartment and they saw each other almost every night. In the intimacy department, Amy was getting more and more comfortable with Sheldon's touch, even allowing him to take off her skirt. They would lay partially undressed together kissing, their hands exploring each others' bodies. Yet Amy was still uncertain about going the distance. Sheldon was very patient and understanding. He was very happy with the way things were progressing and he felt no need to push her any further.

Howard and Bernadette had not decided on a date for their wedding but knew they wanted to get married sometime in May or June.. Bernadette had asked Penny and Amy to be bridesmaids in the wedding. Bernadette did not want a huge wedding but Howard's mom kept adding people to the guest list.. Amy was thrilled, she had only ever been asked to be in a wedding once. Unfortunately the bride and her family had perished in a carbon monoxide accident the night before the wedding. Amy was having such fun helping in planning but it was getting exhausting to Bernadette and Penny with her bizarre cultural suggestions . One afternoon when Penny had off of work, Bernadette asked her to go dress shopping with her. They decided not to invite Amy because they figured she was probably working. Also itwould be nice to shop once without her, suggesting something completely off the wall.. Amy had even offered the bridesmaids dresses from her dead cousin's wedding.

One particular morning, Amy was asked by her department head to go to Caltech and pick up a batch of prions since she seemed to make the trip once a week anyway. Amy was thrilled to go over an extra day and quickly called Sheldon. He told her they could meet for lunch. Sheldon and Amy were sitting at a table in the cafeteria when the rest of the guys came over to join them.

"Hey, Amy, what brings you to our neck of the woods?" Leonard asked her. She knew that Amy usually came on Fridays for lunch but she and Sheldon would eat in his office. It was unusual to see her on a Tuesday and in the cafeteria.

"Your neurology department loaned me a culture of prions for my research on bovine spongiform encephalopathy." Amy answered.

"She popped by to borrow a cup of mad cow disease." Sheldon joked looking at her and smiling. He knew she always enjoyed his zingers

"It's hard to make degenerative brain maladies hilarious, and yet somehow you do it." Amy laughed. Sheldon smiled indulgently at her.

"That's fun to have in a lunchroom." Howard commented feeling sick at the idea of it near him..

"The real fun starts when you get to pick the rat you're going to feed it to and maybe you choose the beady-eyed little mother who's been biting you all week." Amy said seriously.

"Please we are eating. Can we change the subject?" Howard asked. His phone chimed just then and he saw it was another picture of dresses. "Oy. Bernadette keeps texting me pictures of Penny in bridesmaid dresses."

"They're out shopping right now?" Amy asked.

"Yeah." Howard answered.

"Just the two of them?" She asked. She was not happy. She thought these girls were her friends. She just assumed they would invite her to go shopping with them.

"I guess." Howard answered. He had no idea that Amy would be upset. He was just commenting on the text he received.

"That's cool, that's cool." She was trying to appear okay with the situation.

"Why are they asking me about this stuff? What guy knows what a sweetheart neckline is?" Howard asked and Raj raised his hand.

"Well I've got to get going." Amy said, picking up her tray and the prions.

"Are you sure? I thought you could stay an hour." Sheldon could tell something was wrong.

"Yeah, I really need to get these back to work." She answered him.

"Okay well let me walk you to your car then." Sheldon said standing up.

"No that is okay. I will talk to you later okay." Amy said.

"If you are sure." He said. He could see she was upset but wasn't sure how to broach the subject. He decided to just ask her. "Amy, are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just really need to get back." She said.

"If you insist." He said. "I'm still walking you to your car. No arguments." He took her hand and they left.

"That was weird." Howard said.

"How could you tell?" Leonard asked.

"Did Amy seem upset to you?" Howard asked.

"Maybe a little." Leonard answered.

"What's wrong?" Sheldon asked as they were walking towards her car.

"I told you Sheldon. There is nothing wrong. I am fine. I just need to get back to work." She answered not wanting him to know she cared about something as silly and frivolous as dress shopping

"Well I think you are lying but if you insist everything is fine then I'm done trying. You know you can tell me anything, right?" He asked.

"Of course." She replied ducking her head

They got to her car and he gave her a long kiss but she did not seem very into it and he stopped..

"Call me when you are finished work. We can have dinner just the two of us." He said.

"Alright." She said.

"I love you."

"I love you too Sheldon." She said. She got in her car and drove away.

She dropped the prions off at work and told her boss she wanted to take the rest of the day off. She told him she wasn't feeling well. Since she rarely asked for time off, he granted her a half day. Amy began the drive home but decided to stop off at the store to pick up some supplies. Penny had taught her when she was sad to drink wine so she got a bottle of wine, a half- gallon of ice cream and a bag of chips. She figured this could get her through the night. How could she have been so stupid to think that Penny and Bernadette were actually her friends? She felt so rejected. Amy had never had girlfriends before. The rejection from them felt worse then any other rejection she had experienced. When Amy got back to her apartment sheturned off her phone. She didn't want to talk to anyone.

Sheldon walked back into work and sat back down at the table.

"Did Amy seem upset to you?" He asked the rest.

"A little maybe., Did she say something?" Leonard asked.

"No, she said she was fine. But I am not so sure." Sheldon said.

"Oh well, she will be at dinner later, right?" Leonard asked him.

"No, actually, I told her we could go out just the two of us. She is supposed to call me later." He replied.

"I am sure she is fine. She was probably worried about the prions." Raj said.

"You are probably right." Sheldon said.

Later that night, Sheldon was concerned. He had not gotten one form of communication from Amy. He knew she should have been done work hours ago. He tried calling her office first but he got no He had tried to text her but got no reply. She usually answered within five minutes unless she was busy. When he didn't get a reply, he tried email. If she was busy, he would get an automatic reply explaining it but he was met with nothing. So he knew she wasn't busy. He sent her a tweet and then posted on her Facebook page. He got nothing. He was very worried. Leonard suggested that he call her directly. When he did it went straight to voicemail.

"Leonard, I'm worried. I knew she was upset about something earlier and I let her leave. What if she didn't make it home?" Sheldon said.

"Do you want me to take you over there?" Leonard asked.

"Could you? It would make me feel so much better."

"Yeah let's go buddy."

"Okay. You know, I heard in the news a bobcat has been spotted in her neighborhood."

"I don't think Amy was eaten by a bobcat." Leonard said.

"Who thinks Amy was eaten by a bobcat?" Sheldon asked.

"You do?" Leonard thought that was why he brought it up.

"Leonard, I was just mentioning an interesting local news item. Now, thanks to you, I'm worried Amy's been eaten by a bobcat."

"Forget about the bobcat."

"How can I? You won't stop talking about it."

"Buddy, I am sure she is fine. Let's just get going." Leonard said.

"Thank you Leonard. You are a good friend." Sheldon said.

"Well I know how you feel about Amy. She is good for you. If you are worried then it had to be with good cause." Leonard said.

They arrived at her apartment twentyminutes later.

"Do you want me to come up with you?" Leonard asked.

"No, I see her car. She has got to be here." Sheldon answered.

"Why don't I stay here and you can text me that she is definitely in her apartment." Leonard said.

"Okay that sounds good."

Sheldon walked into the apartment building and to the elevator. He was really concerned about Amy. She had seemed off when she left Caltech earlier. He wasn't sure why he let her go when he could tell she was upset. When he got to her apartment, he could hear her inside playing her harp. He sent a quick text to Leonard telling him she was inside and he could leave. He knocked on her door. When she answered, he could tell she had been drinking and crying.

"Sheldon, what are you doing here?" She asked him, slurring her speech slightly.

"You didn't respond to any of my electronic communications. I was worried. I knew you were upset earlier but you wouldn't tell me what was wrong. And now I find you here crying and drinking. Why don't you want to talk to me?" He was concerned he had done something to hurt her.

"I wanted to be alone." She said to him.

"Well that is not going to happen, little lady. You need to tell me what is wrong. Let me make us some tea." He said to her going into the kitchen. She went over to help him. "You sit down, I've got this." He said. He fixed her a cup of tea and brought it over to her on the couch.

"Thank you." She said.

"You're welcome. Now tell me why I had to have my roommate drive me all the way over here when we had plans tonight. What happened?" He asked.

"Sheldon, my world is crumbling around me." She said crying. He pulled her in for a hug.

"Was it something I did?" He was worried.

"No, it wasn't you. It was Penny and Bernadette. I thought they were my friends."

"They are your friends. I have heard on more than one occasion Penny referring to you as her best friend."

"Then why did they go shopping without me today?"

"Is that what this is about?" He asked.

"Yes, why?" She thought she would get some sympathy from him.

"Did it occur to you that maybe they thought you were working?" He tried. He had no idea why the girls didn't include her.

"The point is they didn't even ask me."

"And that made you feel sad, right?" Guessing at emotions was not one of his string suits.

"Yes." She said.

"I'm sure they didn't mean to exclude you. Why don't we get to the bottom of it tomorrow?" He implored her, desperate to make her feel better.

"No I know they don't want to be friends with me. They are only doing so because of you."

"That isn't true. Penny is your friend. And Bernadette is as well. They are doing it just for me. I'm not even that good of friends with Bernadette."

"It doesn't matter, nothing matters." She said looking away and ducking her head down

"Oh come on something matters." He said grabbing her face to make her look at him, staring intently into her eyes.

"You're right. Something does matter. You matter." She said and she leaned in to kiss him.

Sheldon responded by wrapping his arms around her pulling her close against his body.. He deepened the kiss and her mouth tasted like wine and chocolate ice cream. Then his lips left her lips and he kissed her neck nibbling the sensitive flesh behind her ear making her whimper . Amy sat up pulling his shirts up and ripping them off .As he was slowly unbuttoning her cardigan and then her blouse peeling them down her shoulders exposing her bra and creamy flesh. Amy's hands were busy trying to unbutton his pants. Clumsily shegot them undone, pulling them down and placing her hand on the bulge she finds.. Sheldon was unhooking her bra letting his hands cup and caress her breasts before he moved to unzip her skirt.

"Sheldon I think I am ready." She said between kisses. She was still slurring her speech.

"Ready?" He asked as she climbed onto his lap and pressed her body against his.

"I want you to make love to me." She said ducking her head down kissing his neck

Sheldon came to his senses when he heard her speak. It was like ice cold water had been dunked on his head..

"Amy, how much have you had to drink tonight?" He asked her.

"A bottle of wine, why?" She asked

"As much as I want to do this with you, I can't." He said gently removing her from his lap .

"I thought this is what you wanted." She said hurt. "I want to do this."

"Amy, you're drunk. I will not take advantage of you when you are like this." He said. "Why don't we get ready for bed and we can cuddle tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"Amy, I could never take advantage of you. I love you."

"I love you too. Thank you." Amy said.

"For what?"

"Being you and not taking advantage of me. I know I would have regretted it in the morning. Why can't all guys be like you?"

"Because if all guys were like me the human race couldn't survive." Sheldon laughed.

"If all guys were like you the world would be a better place." Amy told him. "Thank you for coming over to check on me."

"Of course I would come. But please next time talk to me when I ask what is wrong. We could have avoided all of this."

"I promise. Now I am very tired. Shall we go to bed?" Amy asked him.

"I think that is a good idea. You are going to have one nasty headache tomorrow morning." Sheldon said.

"Don't remind me." She commented.

Sheldon grabbed some clothes from his drawer in Amy's dresser and went into the bathroom to change. Amy came running in while Sheldon was changing.

"Amy, what's wrong?" He said but realized what she was doing when she rushed to the toilet and began puking. He went over to her and held her hair back.

"Oh never again." Amy said as she put her head back into the toilet.

"It will be alright." Sheldon said, rubbing her back.

"I feel like death." Amy said.

"I'm sure." He said to her.

She continued to vomit for another twenty minutes. When she thought she could handle it, Sheldon helped her to bed. He grabbed a bucket from her kitchen and put it next to her, just in case. Once in bed, she passed out immediately. Sheldon climbed in next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

The next morning Amy woke up and had no idea what had happened. She was in a hangover blur. She felt arms wrapped around her and turned to find Sheldon looking at her.

"Good morning." She said to him blearily.

"Good morning, how do you feel?" Sheldon asked her.

"Like I got hit with a hammer." Amy replied.

"Well then it is a good thing I got these for you." Sheldon said, handing her the pain pills and a glass of water.

"I hate to ask you this, but can you fill in the blanks of my memory? I don't quite remember everything. The last thing I remember is stopping at the grocery store on my way home from work."

"Ah memory impairment, the free prize at the bottle of every liquor bottle."

"Sheldon! You are not helping. Now what happened?"

"Well I came over last night and you were obviously drinking and sad. You told me why you were so hurt because the girls excluded you from dress shopping. We will get to the bottom of that today."

"We don't have to, don't worry about it." Amy interrupted.

"Anyway," Sheldon said ignoring her. "You then tried to get me to have sex with you, vomited on and off for twenty minutes, then I was able to get you to bed. You passed out as soon as your head hit the pillow."

"I did what?! Oh Sheldon I am so sorry." Amy said to him.

"You have nothing to apologize for."

"But you must be really frustrated now."

"I won't lie and say I am not but it wouldn't have been right for me to take advantage. And see I was correct. You don't remember anything about it. What kind of a leach would I be to do that to you? Now I have already talked to Hannah and told her you would be late this morning because you weren't feeling well. Since you left early yesterday, it was not questioned but I must get to work. I trust I will see you later for dinner."

"Yes and again thank you." Amy said.

"You don't need to thank me. I am your boyfriend. I am supposed to take care of you."

"Well I love you even more for it."

"I love you too. Now I've got to go." Sheldon said. He gave her a quick kiss and then darted out of her room.

Amy lay back down after taking the pain meds. She thought about how lucky she was to have Sheldon. Any other man may have taken complete advantage of her while she was drunk. Sheldon was different, he was a gentleman. She knew then that she was ready to give herself to him fully. She was going to talk to him about it later.

Sheldon took the bus to work that morning. He was furious at Penny and Bernadette for what they had done to Amy. He was going to talk to Leonard and Howard about their women. He arrived at work and went into the cafeteria. He found the two men sitting having their morning coffee. He walked quickly over to them.

"The two of you need to get your women in line!" He yelled at them as he approached the table

"What?" Howard asked.

"Last night, Amy was upset. She refused to answer any of my electronic communications. When I arrived at her apartment, she had been drinking and crying. And why? Your gal pals, Penny and Bernadette, went out shopping for some wedding nonsense without Amy, an action they took with no thought or regard as to how it would affect her. I knew she was upset when she left here yesterday. ."

"What do you want us to do about it?" Howard asked him.

"You clearly weren't listening to my topic sentence. Get your women in line! You make them apologize to Amy and set things right." Sheldon said once again.

"Why do I have to talk to Penny? She's not my girlfriend." Leonard commented.

"You invited her to lunch four years ago. Everything about her is on you, you make it so!" Sheldon said and then left.

Amy got to work a few hours late and found Hannah already working with the prions they had gotten the day before.

"Good morning, Amy. How are you feeling?" Hannah asked her.

"Now that the room is not spinning and the thumping in my brain is gone, much better. Thank you for asking." She answered.

"So did you have a stomach virus or something?" Hannah asked.

"No I will be honest. I was hung over. I drank a little too much wine last night." She replied.

"Oh that's fun." Hannah said sarcastically.

"Not really. Thank God for Sheldon. He came over and took care of me, even if I didn't want to talk to anyone."

"He is a such a nice guy. He treats you right." Hannah commented. "So do you want to talk about why you decided to get drunk on a Tuesday?"

"My so called friends didn't invite me to go dress shopping yesterday."

"Oh that is sad. I wonder if they were concerned you were working." Hannah said.

"That's exactly what Sheldon said." Amy said.

"See smart guy." Hannah pointed out.

Later in the afternoon, Amy got a call from Sheldon making sure she was alright and still coming to dinner that evening.

"Hey are you doing anything tonight?" Amy asked.

"No why?" She asked.

"I don't know if I want to face the girls tonight but I promised Sheldon I would come to dinner. Would you care to join me?"

"Sure why not." Hannah said curious to finally meet her boss' friends.

"Great thanks."

Amy sent Sheldon a text with Hannah's order for dinner. Sheldon said he would pass it along to Leonard who was picking up the food that evening. He asked if she could pick him up from work because Leonard and Howard were leaving early and Raj was working late. She let him know she would be by at 5 to get him.

She left work and went to Caltech. She had given Hannah directions and told her dinner was usually at 6. She also warned Hannah about the non-working elevator. She collected Sheldon and they headed to his place.

"So how was work?" Amy asked him.

"It was good. I didn't get much accomplished today. I was distracted."

"I hope it was a good distraction."

"Well of course. I was worried about you all day. How was your day?"

"Productive even after I got there late. Thank you by the way for letting Hannah know I was going to be late."

"No worries. So she is coming tonight? What made you decide to invite her?"

"I am not sure I want to face the girls by myself. You have Halo night tonight and we usually watch a movie. I don't even know if I want to go to Penny's tonight."

"Well I am sure you guys will be friends again before this night is out." Sheldon assured her. "I know there is a reasonable explanation for why they didn't include you yesterday."

"I guess we will see." She said.

When they arrived at the apartment, Penny and Bernadette were already there. They asked if they could speak to Amy alone in Penny's apartment. Sheldon reassured her and she reluctantly went.

"Listen." Amy started.

"Amy, wait. I know you are upset and I want to apologize." Bernadette said. "And I want to explain."

"That's not necessary, it's like Sesame Street says one of these things is not like the other. One of these things should die alone." Amy said.

"Oh Amy that isn't true. You are truly one of my best friends. I made a mistake yesterday. I want to explain why. Before anything, I thought you were working but I still should have asked you. Second, I know you are excited about my wedding and so am I but some of the ideas you have come up with have made me uncomfortable. I should have told you sooner. I really appreciate everything you have told me but some of the things are just creepy."

"I was unaware." Amy said.

"I know and I wish I could have said something sooner. It is just it is hard because you are so enthusiastic about your ideas. And don't get me wrong, I still want to hear some ideas you have and if they are creepy I will tell you right away. I promise."

"I am sorry too. The last time I was invited to be in a wedding, every other bridesmaid got a say except me. I know this is going to sound bad but because of that I am alive today. They didn't invite me to stay at their place the night before the wedding and we all know what happened. I guess because you seemed so receptive to my ideas I went overboard. I promise I will try to make easier suggestions and if they are not good, please tell me. I would rather know that you don't like something then you just humoring me."

"Yay, so we are good?" Bernadette asked.

"Yes we are good." Amy said.

"So I actually do want to ask you an important question." Bernadette said.

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"I would love it if you would be my maid of honor." She said to Amy.

"Really. Oh my, I am so honored. I would love to be your maid of honor. Thank you." Amy said super excited.

"Great. Now that this is settled, let's go eat. I am starving." Penny said.

"Oh by the way, I invited Hannah tonight." Amy said.

"That's terrific. I've been looking forward to meeting her."  
"Well she knows what happened yesterday but I will let her know we are all good now." Amy said.

The girls went back to eat. They had a wonderful evening. Hannah got along well with the other girls. Amy went back after the boys left from Halo night to speak with Sheldon.

"Thank you." She said to him.

"Now what did I do right?" He laughed.

"For getting the girls to apologize." She said laughing with him.

"I can't make anyone apologize but I told you they had a good reason." He said.

"You are right as usual." She said. "And Bernadette asked me to be her maid of honor. She told him.

"I didn't make her do that."

"I know. I just wanted to tell you."

"See good things come to you when you talk them out." Sheldon said.

"Again, right as usual."

"It's what I do." He laughed. He pulled her in for a hug. "And for the record, you are going to make a beautiful maid of honor."

"You're sweet."

"I mean it." He said. He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss. "Do you want to stay tonight?" He asked.

"Actually, I can't." She said disappointed. "I need to get up extra early tomorrow so I can make up the time I missed yesterday and today."

"You can leave early from here." He tried.

"Sheldon, if I stay here I will have to get up forty-five minutes earlier than I do at home. How about I plan to stay after date night tomorrow?" She asked.

"That sounds good to me." He said. "I am going to cook tomorrow night so come hungry." He announced.

"Oh a home cooked meal from one Dr. Sheldon Cooper. I can't wait."

"Well then little lady, let me walk you to your car." He said.

They walked down to her car and spent fifteen minutes saying goodnight.

"See why I can't stay." She said. "If I did I couldn't keep my hands off you."

"You keep saying things like that I am going to carry you back to my apartment." He said.

"Goodnight Dr. Cooper." She smiled at him.

"Goodnight Dr. Fowler." He said and gave her one last kiss.

**So how about jealous Sheldon and a tiara? Almost at the end I think...although I am not sure where these characters will take me while I write them.**

**Let me know what you think...leave me a review. Thanks again!**


	19. Chapter 19

** A/N: Okay thank you so much to so many of you who are reviewing, making this a favorite and following my little tale. So many of you are expecting a tiara this chapter...sadly that didn't make it's appearance yet. But I did write a one shot about the tiara. Anyway how about some jealous Sheldon. So here it is. Oh and this chapter...this story is M rated for a reason...this chapter proves it. You have been warned. **

**Thanks to Boys3allC for cleaning up my messes. You have no idea how much I need the help with those M rated scenes. **

**I wish I owned it:**

On Thursday morning, Amy went to work an hour early. She told Hannah the night before that she would be there early and Hannah agreed to come in even though Amy told her it wasn't necessary.

"So did you stay at Sheldon's last night?" Hannah asked her.

"No, I would have to be up forty five minutes earlier than normal if that was the case. He doesn't exactly live close to here."

"That's true. By the way, thanks for inviting me last night, your friends are great. Oh and that guy Raj, is he single?" Hannah asked.

"He is single, but there is a reason why."

"Do tell. He seems nice enough, successful, not to mention handsome. With that cute little accent, you would think he would get plenty of women. Is he gay? It seems like I am always falling for men I can't have.

"All that is true. No he is not gay, although his relationship with Howard is questionable. He just can't speak to women." Amy answered.

"He was talking to me last night."

"Yes, but he had been drinking alcohol."

"We all were drinking." Hannah commented.

"Yes but Raj can't talk to women without alcohol." Amy said. "Quite a fascinating case of selective mutism."

"Oh that is interesting." Hannah said. " I bet you would love to study his brain."

"I've asked him if I can study his brain but he claims I creep him out."

"Well, Amy, I have known you for a while, I can say without a doubt that I believe him."

"What?" Amy laughed. "I creep you out?"

"Sometimes yes, I mean you are sweet but sometimes you bring creepy back."

"Bringing creepy back? I'd rather I brought sexy back. Oh well you win some you lose some." She laughed. "So are you interested in Raj?" Amy asked, changing the subject.

"Maybe I can cure him of his selective mutism." Hannah said.

"Well I will talk to him and see if he is interested."

"Would you? That would be great!"

"Of course." Amy told her.

The two had a very productive day in the lab. Ricky was completely addicted to cigarettes and Amy had few hooked on cocaine. They were ready to begin weaning the animals down and off of the drugs. Amy had no idea what would happen and she was looking forward to seeing the effects of cutting them back down to zero. She thought about taking one of the monkeys cold turkey on each of the drugs and having the others have gradual withdraw but she wasn't sure if that would cause issues. She had already seen the effects of peer pressure when Ricky was the only one smoking. She wanted to see what would happen to the monkeys that went cold turkey versuses the ones that were gradually weaned. Ricky was already only having one overnight and it was causing some issues for the janitorial staff. Amy couldn't keep him at her apartment any more since she was always at Sheldon's. She would need to talk to her boss about what to do.

"So do you and Sheldon have any big plans tonight?" Hannah asked. She knew Thursday was one of their date nights.

"As it so happens yes, Sheldon is cooking for me. I plan on staying at his place tonight." Amy answered. "He really wanted me to stay last night and I couldn't, so promised I would stay tonight."

"So have you guys yet?" Hannah asked making a gesture with her hands and wiggling her eyebrows.

"Not yet." Amy said blushing "How did you know when you were ready the first time?" She asked Hannah.

"You don't want to go by me." Hannah replied.

"Why not?" Amy asked.

"I was sixteen and I thought I was in love. The boy left me as soon as we were done and he never called me again. He spread it all around school that I was easy. It was terrible."

"Oh I am so sorry that happened to you."

"The second time was a bit better. I had been dating a guy in college for about six months. I was better prepared for it and we continued to see each other for another year."

"What happened?" Amy was curious.

"Well I was ready for a commitment and he wasn't. I was twenty-two and ready to graduate. He was a year behind and he told me he didn't think the long distance thing would work. I was upset but I learned my lesson."

"So have you since college?" Amy asked. She knew Hannah was in her third year of graduate school and she was curious.

"No it's been three years. I am okay though. There are ways to take care of sexual frustration."

"You are preaching to the choir sister. I have used Gerard for years."

"Who's Gerard?"

"It's what I named the electric toothbrush I use."

"You use an electric toothbrush? Oh Amy you know there are plenty of real good toys you can use."

"I could never buy one of those myself. It would require me to go into a store." Amy shuddered at the thought of going into a store like that.

"There are home parties for them. You can buy it without anyone knowing what you buy. They have all different kinds, of all shapes, sizes and colors. The best part is no one except the woman selling the stuff knows what you pick. But even she really just needs numbers next to the product."

"Well as I was never invited to a party like that, my toothbrush did me well."

"I suppose." Hannah said doubtfully, not seeing how a toothbrush could satisfy you.

"And now I have Sheldon." Amy said slyly

"Oh really now?" Hannah inquired.

"Well yeah, of course. We may not have slept together yet but we have done other things. I have not had to use Gerard in months."

"That is so great so do you think you are ready to sleep with him?"

"I think so. I love him so much and he loves me. And the other night when I was drunk I apparently tried to get him to have sex with me and he refused. He could have taken advantage of me."

"Sheldon wouldn't have done that." Hannah commented knowing Amy had one of the few good guys out there.

"He could have but he is so good to me and he took such good care of me. If at all possible it made me love him even more."

"That is so sweet." Hannah sighed, wishing she could find a guy like that.

"Anyway, let's get back to work so I can get out of here a little early since we seem to have caught up." Amy said.

The two finished up about a half hour early. Amy decided to drive over to Caltech to surprise Sheldon and pick him up. Knowing a change might bother Sheldon, she called Leonard on the way and told him he was off duty. Leonard was thrilled. He now could have the afternoon to himself . Amy also decided that she would take Sheldon to the comic book store as a reward for being so good to her.

When she arrived she parked in Sheldon's parking spot. It was never occupied and he had told her to use it. He even had her car registered to that spot since she came at least once a week. She walked into the Physics building and headed to Sheldon's office. As she was rounding the corner she literally ran into a man who was coming in the opposite direction.

"I am so sorry." She said to the man.

"Oh it is quite alright." Barry Kripke said to her in his Elmer Fudd voice. "I don't think I have seen you around here before. The name's Barry." He said.

"I'm sorry did you say Barry?" Amy needed him to clarify.

"That would be correct. And you are?" He asked.

"Amy." Amy answered.

"Are you a grad student?"

"Actually I'm here to see Sheldon Cooper." She answered him. "I work at UCLA."

"Well Cooper is a lucky man to have such a fine lady coming to see him. Do you have a work question for him?"

"Actually he is my…." Amy started but she was cut off when she heard Sheldon's deep voice behind hersaying.

"Her boyfriend, Kripke." He said placing his hands on her shoulders "And I will thank you to keep away from her."

"This lovely lady is your girlfriend?" Barry questioned looking up at Sheldon then back down at Amy

"That is what I said." Sheldon answered. "Now step away from her."

"So sorry Cooper. Amy, it was a pleasure. Now if you ever feel the need to get rid of this loser, give me a call." He told her, holding his hand to his ear like a phone.

"That won't be happening." Sheldon said jealously tightening his grip on her shoulders.

"Whatever, Cooper." Barry said and walked away. "Bye Amy."

Amy who had been watching the exchanged turned to Sheldon. "Surprise." She said to him.

"This is a surprise." He said bending down and giving her a kiss on her cheek. "What brings you here?"

"Well since I am going to your place tonight for dinner, I thought I would come by and pick you up."

"Oh that is so sweet." He said turning her around to face him, hugging her close then giving her a kiss, this time on the lips. "I will get my things. Oh I have to let Leonard know."

"Already taken care of." She told him."I knew it would bother you if he did not know."

"Perfect, you know me so well." He told her, releasing her from the embrace snd taking her hand. "So let's get going. I have a treat for you. I am making my mother's fried chicken."

"That sounds wonderful. I am starving. Then I want to take you to the comic book store after because you missed it last night. Leonard said they were all going tonight as well. So after dinner we will go."

"You really are the best."

"It's what I do." She said laughing.

They drove back to Sheldon's apartment and found Leonard and Penny watching television together.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Sheldon asked them.

"Relax Sheldon, I am leaving soon. I'm waiting for Howard and Raj to call then we are going for dinner and then the comic book store." Leonard answered him. "I know you are making dinner for Amy tonight."

"Thank you. And Amy is staying, right?" He asked her.

"Yes." Amy answered him.

"That's fine." Leonard said. He didn't care but knew Sheldon liked to inform him ahead of time. His phone rang and Leonard left immediately after taking the call from Howard. Penny followed.

"So do you need any help?" Amy asked after they left.

"No. You just make yourself at home. I have everything ready. All I have to do is heat the oil and cook the chicken. I am making mashed potatoes and green beans as well. I didn't have time to get real potatoes, so I am making instant. Not as good, but mom's fried chicken can't be eaten without potatoes."

"I think I can handle it." Amy said. She sat down on the couch and turned on the television. She found a documentary about monkeys and started to watch. Soon she began to smell some wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen. She got up and walked to the counter.

"Do you want something to drink?" Sheldon asked. "I bought a bottle of wine that I think you like."

"I think I will stick to water tonight." She said. "After the other night I think I will stay away from wine for a while. Plus I have to drive you to the comic book store."

"That is smart. I will save it for another time then. Unless of course Penny gets ahold of it first." Sheldon laughed.

"Sounds like a plan." She said, opening up the fridge to get a bottle of water out, she pulled out a half empty bottle of wine. "Looks like she already has." She giggled.

"Well I guess it was a good thing you were not planning on drinking it anyway."

Dinner was ready about a half hour later. Sheldon set the food on plates and served them at the counter. He had lit a couple of candles and had flowers in a vase.

"It smells fabulous." Amy said.

"Well it should, it is my mother's recipe. She makes the best fried chicken. I hope mine comes close." He said.

Amy took a bite. "Oh Sheldon this is amazing." She told him.

"Thank you." He said.

"Why do you eat out so often if you can cook like this?" She asked.

"Cooking takes up too much time and energy that I could be using contemplating the mysteries of the universe. Ordering is way easier." He answered.

"Mysteries of the universe aside, I think we need to cook a bit more from now on." She commented. "But not always like this. This is amazing but I could see myself getting really fat eating like this all the time. Did you eat like this when you were a kid?"

"Sometimes. My mom is a great cook. She made all kinds of things for us. Fried chicken, barbeque and much more, but my favorite was spaghetti with hot dogs cut up. It still is but I haven't had it in a while. Penny made it for me once."

He said.

"Spaghetti with hot dogs? That sounds different. I think I could try and make that for you. Why don't I cook on Saturday when we get back from the museum?"  
"Oh boy that sounds great!" He said excitedly. "Let me tell you something, you are in for a treat."

"Well I can't wait." She said. "Now let's get cleaned up so we can get to the comic book store."

"We don't have to go you know." He said his voice loaded with meaning as he put the dishes in the dishwasher.

"I know but I want to take you. You took such great care of me the other night, I want to do something for you." She said, walking up behind him and rubbing his shoulder.

"I can think of some things we can do that could be fun." He said seductively, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"I think we will have plenty of time for that later." She replied back to him. "Besides, I have never seen this comic book store you love so much. I want to share in your interests."

He finished putting the dishes away and then pulled her close to him. "Are you sure?" He said leaning in and nibbling on her neck. "We could go Saturday morning." He purred in her ear.

Amy was losing all thought as he continued his assault on her neck. Just then there was a knock on the door followed by Penny opening the door. Sheldon pulled away just before she opened. "You have to remind me to lock that door from now on." He said to her.

"Hey bestie, what's up?" Amy asked.

"It smells fabulous in here. What's for dinner?" Penny said.

"Do you ever cook for yourself?" Sheldon asked her, pulling out a tupperware dish of the leftovers from the refrigerator.

"I can't cook. I can barely boil water." Penny laughed.

"I believe it. Well here are some leftovers. Please wash and return the container at your earliest convenience. Now if you will excuse us, we were kind of in the middle of something." Sheldon said walking Penny to the door.

"What are you up to?" Penny asked.

"We are heading to the comic book store." Amy answered.

"Be careful Amy. Some of those boys aren't used to seeing a pretty woman."

"I'm not worried. I have Sheldon." She said.

"You're knight in shining armor." Penny laughed. "Well, have fun." She said as she left the apartment. "And thanks for dinner." She said holding up the dish as she closed the door behind her.

Sheldon shut the door behind her and turned to Amy. "Now where were we?" He said pulling Amy close again.

"You were getting your jacket so we could go to the comic book store." She said pulling out of his arms.

"Fine, but this is definitely not over." He growled.

"I sure hope not." She said winking at him.

"You are a vixen." She giggled and gave him a kiss. "Let's go."

The two left the apartment and headed to her car. The drive to the comic book store was short but Amy was getting many text messages on the way over.

"Can you check that? Someone is really trying to get in touch with me."

Sheldon pulled her phone out and looked at the messages.

"Uh oh." He said.

"What is it?" Amy said concerned.

"It seems that Ricky has been a bit temperamental this evening. He is flinging his poop all over the lab."

"Oh geez. I am going to have to give them a call to see if they need me." She said as she pulled up to the store. "You go in ahead of me. I'll meet you inside."

"Are you sure? I can wait."

"No go get your new comic books." She said.

"Okay." He said. He climbed out of the car and ran into the store like a kid going into a candy store.

Amy made the call and it turned out to be not as bad as she had feared. Ricky was angry that the he had no cigarette. Since being weaned to just one, Ricky sometimes smoked it early and then got agitated. This particular night, they had forgotten to leave the cigarette all together. Apparently Ricky found that completely unacceptable and was having a major tantrum. It was worse than normal according to the messages. The janitor had discovered the mess when he went inside to clean up the lab. He called the department head who in turn was texting Amy. Since it had taken so long for Amy to get back to him, the situation had been handled and she was not required to go to the lab. She was grateful. She made her way into the store after she hung up the phone.

As soon as she walked in she was amazed by the site. It was like a giant carnival with action figures, books and funny posters. She had no idea where she would find Sheldon. The store was small but there seemed to be places where one could be hidden from view. Amy did not see Sheldon when she first walked in. He must have been towards the back of the store. She spotted the other three guys standing in the middle with a fourth gentleman she had never met.

Stuart, who was standing with Raj, Howard and Leonard, saw her walk in and was amazed that a woman had actually stepped foot into his store. He looked at the three men around him.

"Hot girl nine o'clock." Stuart said to them. The guys all started to turn. "Don't everybody look at once."

"Oh Stuart that's…" Leonard started but was cut off.

"I'm going to see if she needs any help. And possibly get her number." Stuart said as he walked away.

"Sheldon's girlfriend." Leonard finished. "Where is Sheldon?" He said looking towards the back of the store. "He is not going to like this one bit."

"Oh man if Stuart hits on Amy there is no telling what Sheldon will do." Howard said.

"Well let's try and stop him before it's too late." Raj said.

They saw Sheldon in the back of the store and he seemed oblivious to the fact his girlfriend had just walked in. He was engrossed in the latest issue of The Flash. After a while he looked over at the door as if looking to see if Amy had come in yet and noticed her talking and laughing with Stuart. He was not happy. First Kripke was flirting with her earlier and now Stuart. She seemed to be enjoying the attention Stuart was giving her. He made his way over to them. The guys just watched on curiously. They had no idea what Sheldon would do.

Stuart walked over to Amy, who was looking at a comic.

"Can I help you find anything?" He asked her.

"A comic that depicts a woman whose bosom can't be used as a floatation device." She answered his question.

"Sorry. Most of the guys who come in here like big boobs. Couple of them have big boobs." Stuart said to her.

"That's pretty funny." Amy said laughing and looking around. "I see what you mean." She said as she saw some of the guys.

"My name's Stuart, I own this store. What can I help you find, um…I'm sorry I don't know your name." He said trying his best flirting techniques.

"Amy." She answered.

"So Amy is there something in particular you are looking for? We have all kinds of comics here. We have superhero, crime solvers, science fiction and even romance, if that is what you are into."

"They make romantic comic books?" She questioned.

"They do, not that I sell a whole lot. I think some writers are trying to reach out to both genders."

"Well that makes sense, but I'm not here looking for a comic book."

"Oh so what is it? I am sure I can help you find whatever you need." He said smiling. "Even if I don't have it maybe I can get your number and find it for you."

"That won't be necessary." Sheldon said from behind Stuart.

"Oh hey Sheldon. This is Amy. She was just about to tell me what she came in looking for."

"I believe she was probably trying to find me." Sheldon said possessively.

"Oh you two know each other?" Stuart asked curiously.

"Yes we do. Amy is my girlfriend." Sheldon said.

"So you are the infamous girlfriend Sheldon is constantly bragging about having." Stuart said.

"He is?" Amy asked. She really was a lucky woman.

"Yes. So nice to meet you." Stuart said and walked away. He hadn't known she was taken and he would never do that to a friend.

Sheldon turned on Amy. "What the hell was that?" He asked her.

"What do you mean?" She had no idea why he seemed so angry.

"First Kripke and now Stuart? Are you wearing some kind of pheromones that are attracting these guys?"

"Seriously? You think I am doing this on purpose?" Amy was incensed.

"Well you sure seem to be enjoying the attention." Sheldon pointed out.

"I was having a simple conversation with Stuart. He was asking if I needed to find anything. It was nothing. And as for Kripke, he came on to me. I never asked for it. I told him immediately I was there to see you. He is the one that asked why. You interrupted before I could tell him you were my boyfriend just like tonight. I was about to tell Stuart I was here to find you but you interrupted."

"It didn't seem like it. You were smiling at him."

"So just because I smile at a guy that means I want to get to know him. You know what you are crazy."

"I am not my mother had me tested." He countered.

"Really? That is your answer. You are doing nothing but accusing me of doing something I didn't and now you counter with you aren't crazy. Well you may not be crazy but you are acting it. I didn't come on to either guy today. I am with you. I love you. Think about that before you accuse me of hitting on someone." She yelled and she stormed out of the store.

"What just happened?" Sheldon asked.

"Um, buddy, you kind of just accused your girlfriend of flirting with other guys." Leonard said.

"But why is she mad?"

"Because she wasn't flirting. Stuart was actually flirting with her."

" I should go after her." Sheldon said.

"I wouldn't." Howard said.

"And you know this why?"

"Sheldon, she is pissed. What is going after her going to prove?" Howard asked.

"That I care. I need to apologize. I let my jealousy get in the way." Sheldon said.

"Good for you buddy." Leonard said.

"Hey Sheldon, I'm sorry." Stuart said sheepishly. He hadn't meant to start a fight.

"I accept your apology. I can understand why you flirted with her. She is a remarkable woman." Sheldon said to him.

Sheldon ran out of the store and found Amy in her car crying. He walked over to it and attempted to open the door but found it locked.

"Amy." He said knocking on the window. "Please unlock the car."

"Why so you can yell at me some more?" She snapped.

"Please open the door." He said again.

She reluctantly unlocked the car. She knew she wasn't going to stay mad at him for long but she needed to get him to apologize for his poor behavior.

"Thank you." He said to her.

"You're welcome. Now what do you want?" She asked.

"I came out here to apologize. It was wrong of me to accuse you of coming on to those men today. I am sorry."

"Why did you? Do you not trust me?" She had never even thought about another man let alone flirted with one.

"I trust you. I just didn't like seeing those guys hit on you. I got jealous."

"Well there is nothing to be jealous about. Kripke was creepy and I could never see myself with someone like Stuart. I mean come on, he sells picture books for a living." Amy laughed.

"I truly am sorry. Why don't we go back home and I can apologize even more." Sheldon said, taking her hand.

"You are forgiven, this time." She would not let him off so easily if it happened again. She kind of liked the jealous side of Sheldon.

"It won't happen again. I promise. Now can we go back to he apartment, please."

"Why, what do you have in mind?" She asked intrigued by his suggestiveness.

"Just drive." Sheldon said. He sent a quick text to Leonard telling him to make himself scarce for a few hours. He received a reply back saying he was going to Raj's apartment to play games and to not expect him back until late. Sheldon was grateful. He had big plans to make Amy know just how very sorry he was and he did not want to be interrupted.

As soon as Sheldon opened the door to his apartment he kissed Amy, pushing her up against the door. Sheldon got more and more passionate separating her lips with his tongue and nippling on her lower lip . Amy was taken aback at first but quickly responded by allowing Sheldon's tongue access to her mouth. Sheldon reached behind her and locked the door.

"This way there are no interruptions." He said and he continued to kiss her.

Amy was completely turned on. He was being extremely possessive and she was loving it. She needed to let Sheldon know that she was completely ready. Amy was going to tell him but couldn't get a word in edgewise. His sensual assault was leaving her speechless. He continued to kiss her then began to unbutton her sweater, pulling it off quickly then working on the buttons on her blouse. Exposed Amy grabbed his shirts and pulled them over his head pressing her hands against his bare chest.

"Bedroom." He growled as he grabbed her hand and tugged her towards his room.

Once inside he continued where he had left off and unzipped her skirt letting it fall in a puddle on the floor, leaving her in an emerald green matching bra and panty set. Gazing at the perfection that was her body, he began to feel overwhelmed.

"Beautiful." He whispered as he lowered her onto the bed, hovering above her body. She reached to unzip his pants but he stopped her, holding her hands above her head. She was confused, thinking this was what he wanted

"Not yet." He said to her letting go of her hands. "You first." He said his voice deep and growly.

Amy wasn't arguing as he reached down and cupped her breasts through her bra. Quickly deciding it wasn't enough, he reached around unhooking it then he took it off. He kissed down her neck down past her collar bone, stopping at her breasts cupping them gently in his hands before taking her right breast in his mouth suckling the pink peak. He then repeated the process on her left while still teasing the right with his forefinger and thumb. Amy was so turned on she was a writhing, moaning mess beneath him.

"Sheldon I'm ready." Amy panted.

"I know but not yet." He told her kissing a path down her stomach.

Sheldon stopped and took off her panties, placing his hand in her most private area. They had done this before but never with her panties off, normally it was through her panties, only once had she let him put his hand inside. Amy hadn't been ready before to let him see her naked before. Now she was completely naked and completely vulnerable to whatever he was about to do to her. He began to rub her soft folds with his long fingers, getting her hotter and wetter each time he moved. He put one finger in her and rubbed her nub with his thumb.

Amy had never felt so much passion. There was something intense building inside her. Sheldon was kissing her breasts , then her stomach. He moved lower and lower. Amy didn't think he was going to go all the way down there but he did. When his mouth kissed her, she had never felt something so intense. Sheldon took her sensitive nub in his mouth while he had two fingers inside moving in and out. Then he swirled his tongue around, tasting and kissing her. Amy was building to the most intense orgasm she had ever had in her entire life. The electrodes never got her this satisfied. One of his hands snaked up her body and he gently tugged at her nipple at the same pace his tongue flicked across her nub. She screamed his name as she came. She was still shaking when he removed his mouth from her. He came up to her and kissed her. She could taste herself on his lips and she was even more turned on.

"Wow." She said.

"I know, that was the first time I have ever done that. I think I did alright for a novice at it." He said. He kissed her again. "I love you."

"I love you too." She said. "And you did more than alright. That was amazing. I like that I am your first for something tonight too." She said shyly, hoping he understood what she meant.

He kissed her again and reached across to get a condom.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her as he sat up and removed his pants and underwear. Amy took his length into her hand stroking it gently.

"Absolutely. I want you to make love to me." She said taking the condom from him and opening it.

"I love you." He said as she rolled the condom on then laid back down on the bed. Sheldon positioned himself at her entrance. "Now I am going to ask one more time. Are you sure?" He didn't want her to regret her decision in the morning.

"Yes Sheldon, please." She said one more time.

He slowly pushed into her slowly, a hiss coming from his mouth as he felt how tight she was.. She was so wet from his oral gratification that he slipped in easily but he was still rather large and she needed time to adjust to his size.

"Go slow please." She said gritting her teeth at the foreign feeling.

Sheldon moved slowly and carefully inside of her so afraid to hurt her. The feeling was torturous as she sheathed him completely and gripped him tightly. Soon she was adjusted and she could feel the build up again. Sheldon knew exactly what he was doing, hitting her need head on each time he entered her. Of course he knew what to do, she thought. He had done this before. Amy found herself being grateful at least one of them knew what to do.

Sheldon wanted to go faster and harder, but he wanted Amy to be comfortable. He was getting harder by the minute and he was begging for release.

"Sheldon you can move faster, if you want." She said knowing he was taking it easy on her.

It was music to his ears and he grabbed her legs and wrapped them around his waist. He soon began to pump in and out at a quick pace, hitting her harder. Each time he slid inside he heard a little satisfied gasp from her . Sheldon knew he wasn't going to last too long but he wanted her to feel pleasure again so he slowed down a bit. Bending his head down and kissing her neck taking one of her nipples into his mouth and tugging gently making her groan..

"Please Sheldon." She said as he took the other nipple into his mouth. He could tell she was building again and he quickened the pace.

"Amy. Oh my you feel so good." He said against her ear.

"Yes. Sheldon faster please." She said gripping his shoulders. She was building up to another orgasm. She didn't know if she could take another one but she needed him to move.

"Yes, Amy, yes." He said and quickened even more. Soon they were both shouting out each other's names and shaking at the intensity of their feelings. Sheldon emptied into the condom as Amy shook around him. She was clenched so tight that he thought she may not let go.

"Sheldon that was…" She started but he cut her off.

"Amazing. I agree. I love you." He said kissing her. He pulled the condom off and threw it in the garbage can by his bed. He rolled back over to her and pulled her in his arms.

"I love you. I am so glad I waited until you." She said.

"Me too." He agreed.

**He's going to buy her a present now. Maybe because he still thinks he needs to apologize or maybe because she is his princess. Anyway a tiara is coming I promise you that. **

**Then maybe we will have fun with the stories and move some up in the seasons and have Amy mess up one of Sheldon's favorite movies. **

**I hope Shamy wasn't too dull in this chapter, penny fan. **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews for the last chapter. I am so grateful you guys liked Shamy's first time. Here is chapter 20**

**Thanks as always to Boys3allC for the help with Shamy sexy times. I couldn't do it without you. **

**I wish I owned these characters. **

Amy woke up the next morning feeling so different. A change had taken place in her. Amy felt stronger, more mature, not to mention completely happy. Maybe it was because of what Sheldon did to her, the way he had kissed her so intimately. Maybe it was because she was no longer a virgin and that last part of her that did not fell completely grown was gone, or maybe it was just because...

Amy had no idea what it was, but she felt different, more grown up, more like a woman. What had started out as a fight between the two of them had become the most passionate night of her life. So is this what the fuss about make up sex was all about. Not only had it been make-up sex but it had also been her first time. She wondered if it would be this passionate each time. Sheldon certainly set the bar high for a first time, he had wrought sensations out of her she never thought possible.

Amy remembered at the first girl's night reciting to Penny and Bernadette_ The Miller's Tale_ by Chaucer. Penny didn't understand it and Bernadette thought it was pretty spicy especially the part about kissing the nether yea. She had commented that if one cared about hygiene one would not want to be kissing it. Boy had she been wrong, Sheldon had most definitely kissed her nether yea and she was still tingling from the sensation. Would he do that every time they made love? She wasn't sure she could take it, the pleasure he had brought to her had wrung her out. Sheldon had brought her to completion other times playing with her breasts or touching her down there and she had felt amazing after. This however was beyond amazing. She had seen stars afterwards the sensation had been so intense. The best part was he told her it was a first for him as well. She liked being his first for something. Maybe he just wanted to experience something new for her. For all she knew he hated it, although he didn't seem to at all. She would have to ask him. She hoped that was not the case. She wanted him to do it again.

Sheldon's arm was still wrapped tightly around her. She was starting to get hot. Amy tried adjusting him and his arm just flopped onto her chest. Then she felt his hand on her breast start massaging her, gently kneading the flesh. She turned her head and saw his eyes were still shut and he looked like he was still he doing this in his sleep? They had slept in the same bed many times before and he had never acted like this before. Maybe he was dreaming, hopefully about her. She decided to see what would happen next. She wasn't going to stop him. Amy decided to have some fun with him. She could feel his erection poking into her. This had happened other mornings she spent the night but she always politely ignored it. This time she leaned against him until she could feel his erection hard against her bottom. Then she ground against him slowly while he continued to massage her breast. It felt so good she thought as she closed her eyes. She could reach completion like this. Amy had no idea if he was awake or asleep but she didn't mind either way. She was having fun. Then she felt his other hand reach around and cup her other breast gently tugging at her nipple making her gasp. Amy continued to grind against his erection between her thighs not inside her but rubbing against her mound making her wet. His hand moved down to her mound, his deft fingers separating her folds finding the tight bundle of nerves. She knew then he was more than awake, Amy was already hot and wet for him and his fingers and erection moved against her folds in perfect synchronization. He kissed the back of her neck. He had her right breast in hand, gently stroking her nipple. His left hand was working on her nub, rubbing and stroking her. She was writhing and moaning his name. He didn't want her to reach her peak without him and he stopped. Amy groaned and he reached around her to get a condom from his nightstand. He rolled it on, then he lifted her leg and slipped into her. The sensation was so different from the night before. It was still tight but there was no pain. From this angle she could feel all of him and he was hitting her in the exact right spot. Sheldon moved in and out of her while his right hand continued its assault on her nipple. His left hand was still circling her nub. She was in ecstasy. The sensations coming from every part of her body were overwhelming her. Amy could feel the buildup in her core, as he was becoming more erratic. His breathing was heavy as he moved in and out of her faster and harder. He felt her coming around him, and pulled her tight against his body as he came inside her. Still connected she turned her head to face him.

"Good morning." She said smiling.

"It certainly is." He said as he kissed her and saw her wince a little as he pulled out. Horrified at himself, he hadn't even thought about how she was feeling while he ravaged her again. He had not been able to help himself, waking up to her glorious nude body, her sensuous bottom rubbing against his erection. The night before had been her first time. She was probably sore and possibly in pain. Feeling like an ass he hugged her tight.

"Oh my God, Amy, how are you feeling this morning?" Hoping she was not in pain this morning.

"I am fine. Do you think I would have allowed that to happen if I was hurting?" She said to him.

"Are you sure?" Sheldon said.

"Sheldon, relax, I feel great." She said stretching her body and turning to face him.

"As long as I didn't hurt you." He said to her pressing his forehead against hers.

"You didn't." She assured him kissing him softly and stroking his hair. Amy had been so worried about it hurting. It had for just a moment before becoming immensely pleasurable.

"Good, now I don't know about you, but I could use a shower." He said. "Care to join me?"

"Of course." She said.

Sheldon got out of bed and held his hand out for her to join him. She took it and he led her to the bathroom. Sheldon was not worried about Leonard being up. He was not usually up as early him.

The two had made an agreement to only allow one person in the shower at a time. A rule Sheldon knew Leonard had broken on more than one occasion with both Penny and Priya. Sheldon was the one who wrote the rules so he could change them if he wanted. This was one that was definitely going to be changed. Sheldon started the shower and climbed in. Amy was feeling a bit nervous. Bathtubs were slippery. What if Sheldon tried something and they fell. He peeked around the curtain.

"Are you coming in or what?" He asked her.

"Um, Sheldon…." She started.

"We can just shower." He assured her. "No funny business."

"Okay." She said and she climbed in. "I'm just nervous we could slip and fall."

"Amy, I have two doctorates in physics, I assure you I could prevent us from falling but trust me we can just wash this morning. Plus the adhesive ducks will prevent falling as well. I will prove it can be done another time." He said to her and winked. Amy blushed at the suggestive wink, her heart fluttering as she stepped in the shower with him. Sheldon pulled her under the water with him and gave her a quick kiss before handing her the shampoo and ducking down so she could reach the top of his head. Amy washed his hair and decided to ask him her question from earlier. Naked and in the shower, there was nowhere for him to run, so he pretty much had to answer her.

"Sheldon can I ask you a question?" She said running her hand through his hair.

"Of course."

"That thing you did… that you said you never did before... did you like it?"

He looked up at her and smiled wolfishly.

"Were you worried that I didn't enjoy myself while doing it?" He asked.

"Well yeah… I loved it but…"

"Then I'll have to do it again sometime soon. I enjoyed myself more than you will ever know. You taste like heaven." He told her, making her blush. Just as his lips moved onto her mouth for another kiss, they heard a knock on the door.

"Sheldon are you in the shower?" Leonard called. He didn't want to walk in on Amy. He knew she had spent the night.

"What?" Sheldon screamed from the other side. "I can't hear you I'm in the shower." He called.

"I asked if you were in the shower, but that's moot now." Leonard said.

"What the hell is he saying?" Sheldon said to Amy trying to shake the water out of his ears making him giggle. Usually he had really good hearing but the shower was causing him to not be able to hear well. "What?" He called out.

"Moot, rendered unimportant by recent events." Leonard called. " I really have to pee!"

"I can't hear you. I am in the shower." Sheldon yelled again. He hoped Leonard would understand not to come in to the bathroom. The door swung open.

"Sorry buddy I know you like your privacy but…" Leonard said, lifting the lid to the toilet. "Emergency." He said.

"What kind of emergency?" Sheldon asked confused. Now Amy was laughing hard . If he had to ask what kind of emergency there was in a bathroom, he may have to have his IQ checked again. He looked at her. "What?" He mouthed. She laughed harder, trying not to let Leonard hear her.

"Mathematical." Leonard said. "Thirty-two ounce Big Gulp, sixteen ounce bladder."

"You might not want to do that." Sheldon said. Amy was mortified. Was Leonard really going to pee while she was standing there? Then she realized he had no idea that she was in there with him. That was why Sheldon was trying to warn him.

"I assure you I do." Leonard said.

"Leonard, I am not alone in here." Sheldon said to him.

"What?" Leonard screamed. Amy peeked her head out.

"Hello, Leonard." Amy said to him.

"What are you doing in there?" He asked her.

"Oh Leonard, if I have to tell you that." Sheldon said to him.

"She can't be in there." He said. "Roommate agreement." He countered.

"Oh yeah and how many times have you broken this same amendment?" Sheldon asked.

"Um…." Leonard tried.

"Exactly. That amendment will be changed immediately. Now if you will excuse us." Sheldon said.

"But I have to pee."

"You can't wait two minutes?" Sheldon asked him.

"Oh come on let him pee." Amy said and ducked back into the shower.

Leonard was torn. Should he pee? He knew Amy wouldn't look and he really had to go, but Sheldon was giving him the evil eye. He closed the lid and left the bathroom.

"I guess we should hurry." Amy said and she finished washing herself.

"Yeah, although he is going to be angry." Sheldon said.

"Why?" Amy asked.

"Well it is stipulated in our Roommate Agreement that the shower occupancy be one and it is now two."

"You have that in your agreement? Did you guys never think about having a girl in the shower with you?"

"Oh come on Amy, do you know us? When we wrote that agreement, it seemed very unlikely that either one of us would get a girlfriend. Thus the fight we had at Valentine's Day that one year. We never thought about girlfriends, so everything was between just us."

"Boy I am glad I didn't have you write up an agreement when we started dating. It sounds like you write these things down just to suit you." Amy said teasing.

"I can still do it little lady." He laughed smacking her bottom.

"Yeah like I would sign it." She said and giggled.

"Oh yeah?" He said and he kissed her. He pushed her up against the shower wall. Amy responded kissing him deeply, but then realized that they were still in the shower and needed to get out. Plus she still wasn't sure about those adhesive ducks. She gently pushed him away.

"Sheldon we really should get out and let Leonard in to pee." Amy said. "Plus we need to get ready for work."

"Fine." Sheldon conceded. He turned the water off and stepped out.

They put on their robes and made their way back into Sheldon's room.

"Bathroom is free." Sheldon yelled to Leonard. They didn't hear him but assumed he went into the bathroom.

"He isn't going to be happy with you when we come out." Amy said. "You violated your own agreement."

"Oh he had Penny in that shower more times than I can count and I never said a word. And I think I walked in one time when Priya was in there with him. They just didn't have the decency to tell me like we did for him."

"You went to the bathroom knowing Priya was in the shower?" Amy asked.

"Why not? She wasn't going to look. I would have yelled at them for being in there together so they were very quiet. I knew she was in there. His door was wide open and she wasn't in the kitchen."

"So why did we tell him I was in there? We could have let him pee in peace." She asked him.

"I have no idea. We could have kept you a secret and then I could still have you in there now. I could have proved those ducks work." He said suggestively.

"Sheldon!" She laughed.

When they were finished getting dressed, they walked out in the living room. Leonard was making breakfast. He had obviously taken care of his emergency.

"Do you like French toast?" Leonard asked Amy.

"Actually I love it. To me it is the start of a perfect day." She said to him. "Thanks for making breakfast."

"Oh no problem. And sorry about interrupting you in the shower." He said.

"You're not mad?" Sheldon asked, surprised, taking some French toast from the plate.

"Why should I be?" Leonard asked. "It's like you said, I have had women in the shower before and you didn't stop me. Why should I stop you? Just change the amendment in the agreement. I will initial it."

"Will do." Sheldon said.

Amy was finishing her breakfast and listening. Leonard was really understanding. She could tell that Leonard was a good friend to Sheldon. She looked at her watch and realized if she was going to be on time she needed to leave.

"I've got to get going." She said to the guys.

"Oh okay." Sheldon said to her. "You're coming for lunch today, right?"

"Of course." She said.

He walked her to the door. "Are you staying here tonight?" He whispered.

"If you want I can stay the whole weekend. And you can prove to me those ducks work." She whispered back and winked.

"Vixen." He said. He gave her a kiss and she walked out.

She was smiling as she closed his door and didn't hear Penny right behind her.

"Good night I presume?" Penny said, startling Amy.

"Oh Penny you scared me." Amy said. "What are you doing up so early?" She asked. Penny was never up before ten on a weekday.

"I had an unexpected visitor come over to use my bathroom this morning." Penny explained.

"Leonard used your bathroom?" Amy questioned.

"It seemed his bathroom was otherwise occupied and he couldn't hold it any longer." Penny said innocently.

"We got out quickly after he left the room." She said.

"Yeah and what were you guys doing in the shower?" Penny asked.

"What do you do in the shower?" Amy asked.

"When I am with someone, I do a lot more than when I am alone." She commented.

"Well this was a shower and nothing else, although I am sure Sheldon wanted more." Amy said.

"But you seem extremely happy this morning Amy. Do kiss and tell." Penny said to her.

"I am not sure I should." Amy said smiling.

"That's it! Girl's night tonight. No excuses. You will kiss and tell. Invite Hannah, maybe she will be able to tell us what is going on with you and Sheldon."

"I will invite her. She will be happy to see Raj again anyway." Amy said.

"She likes Raj?" Penny asked. "Oh that is so great. Bernadette told me that he told Howard that he was going to ask you for her number."

"Well that works out. I just hope he doesn't have to always be drunk around her." Amy said.

"Oh you haven't heard since it just happened yesterday. Raj was called into President Siebert's office and there was a woman there to speak with him. He couldn't speak at first and tried to get out of the meeting but Siebert wouldn't let him leave. He had no choice but to try and talk and he did. It was truly amazing. Bernadette called me last night and told me Raj was talking her ear off and there was no alcohol involved. It seems that when forced to talk to a woman he had no choice." Penny told her.

"Wow that is amazing. So maybe he will lay off the alcohol tonight and have a real conversation with Hannah. Then she can decide for sure if she likes him. I will let you know if she can make it." Amy said. "Listen I've really got to get going, I'm going to be late if I don't hurry."

"Okay talk to you later, Amy. Remember….you can kiss and tell." Penny said.

"We'll see." She said as she hurried down the stairs.

Penny walked over to apartment 4A and knocked. Sheldon answered the door.

"Good morning Penny." He said to her in greeting. He was in such a good mood that even Penny coming over for a free meal couldn't change that. "Coffee is on and there is some French toast left from breakfast. Help yourself."

"Wait, what?" Penny was confused. Usually Sheldon would make some snide comment about her mooching a free meal or something but today he was willingly telling her to help herself.

"I said help yourself. I am not sure why there is such confusion on your part."

"Okay where is Sheldon?" Penny asked. "Did you think we wouldn't notice that you traded his body for yours?" Penny laughed.

"What are you talking about?" Sheldon was confused. He was being nice to Penny and she was mocking him.

"Sheldon, I have known you for almost five years. Never once have you told me to help myself to anything in your apartment."

"So what is your point?" Sheldon said.

"My point is that you either have been taken over by an alien race or you got laid last night."

"Excuse me? I have not been taken over by an alien and I did not get laid." Sheldon said incredulously. He would not describe what happened between him and Amy as getting laid.

"I'm sorry. I just assumed that Amy and you…." Penny started.

"I will not kiss and tell." Sheldon said.

"You two are like peas in a pod. She said the same thing to me this morning. I know you did something last night. The both of you have the same goofy smiles on your faces."

"She's right." Leonard said. He had heard them through the wall, so he knew that they had had sex. If it wasn't sex, Sheldon was very skilled at something to make Amy moan like that. He never knew how thin the walls really were. Although it did explain why Sheldon was always complaining about needing noise canceling headphones.

"Plus Leonard barged into my apartment this morning to use the bathroom because the shower was over occupied according to him." Penny laughed.

"Okay so we took a shower. That doesn't mean we did anything else." Sheldon said.

"Oh I think there was more, but I won't push you." Penny said. "I am happy for you. I told you that you would find the perfect girl for you someday." She said patting his shoulder

"Yes you did. I didn't believe you but Amy is perfect." Sheldon said dreamily.

"You really do love her, don't you?" She asked.

"I do." He answered.

"Awwww, you are too cute." Penny said.

"Okay so enough about that. I need a favor." Sheldon said coming out of his stupor.

"What is that?" Penny asked.

"I want to buy Amy a present and I need advice on what to get her." Sheldon said to her.

"Jewelry is always a good option." Penny said shrugging.

"But what kind of jewelry?" Sheldon mused.

"I don't know, what kind of jewelry does she wear?" Penny asked.

"I don't think she wears much jewelry. I know she has a bracelet that says 'allergic to penicillin'. Maybe I can get her a dressier version of that."

"Really?" Leonard said from behind. "Even I know that is lame."

"You should get her something she would never buy herself. Get her something that says you really know her." Penny said.

"Okay I will think about it. Thank you. Now chop chop Leonard, we are going to be late." He said.

"Give me ten minutes. The bathroom was occupied when I got up this morning." Leonard laughed.

In spite of her eventful morning Amy made to work just about on time. When she walked in she was in an extremely good mood. Even a detailed report of Ricky's antics from the night before couldn't upset her. Hannah noticed her boss' demeanor immediately. She greeted her with a huge knowing smile.

"Someone is in a good mood this morning." Hannah said in greeting.

"I am in a wonderful mood. The sun is out, there isn't a cloud in the sky and I have the best boyfriend in the world."

"Oh yeah?" Hannah asked. "Do tell." She continued.

"What? There is nothing to tell." Amy tried skirting around the question.

"Oh please. You have something to tell. Just look at you. You are positively glowing. If I didn't know any better, I would say someone got lucky last night."

"Hannah!" Amy yelled but turned a bright shade of red.

"Oh my God! You did, didn't you?" She was thrilled for Amy.

"Is it really that obvious?" Amy asked.

"Um, yeah. No offense but you could never lie to me about something like that."

"I got away with it this morning." Amy said.

"With who?" Hannah asked.

"Penny, although I am not sure I fooled her too much. She wants to have a girls' night."

"I am coming! I've got no plans for tonight and I want all the juicy details too." Hannah said. "Plus I get to see Raj again."

"Oh there is some great news on the Raj front. He apparently can speak to women now without the aid of alcohol."

"How did that happen?" Hannah asked.

"Penny told me some story about how he was forced into a meeting with a woman and could not get out of it so he had to face his fear. According to Penny he was talking Bernadette's ear off last night with just water."

"That is amazing. I would really love to study his brain and how it works."

"I wouldn't mention that to him. He may get freaked out. Oh and by the way he was going to ask me for your number."

"Really?" Hannah asked.

"Penny said Bernadette told her that Howard said he was interested."

"Huh?"

"He is interested that is all that you should have to take out of that statement."

"Oh okay. So what time tonight?" Hannah asked.

"Dinner is at six as always. Chinese because it is Friday."

"So should I let you know what to order For me now? Are you leaving early to see Sheldon for lunch today?"

"It is my Friday to leave so yes."

"I still can't believe you guys do that every week." Hannah said shaking her head.

"Well Sheldon never takes vacation so when he asked his boss for half days every other Friday, apparently it was immediately granted to him. Leonard said that some people in his department actually cheered when they found out."

"Why would they do that?" Hannah was curious. Sheldon seemed like such a nice guy.

"Sheldon is a a very nice guy, however he can be a bit arrogant with his colleagues. I was first hand witness to that yesterday."

"Oh yeah?" Hannah wanted to know.

"Well I went and surprised him and I literally ran into this jerk in the hall."

"What happened?"

"Well he hit on me."

"You go girl."

"No he was creepy, not my type at all. He had this horrible speech impediment. He sounded like Elmer Fudd. I could not take him seriously. Anyway, I told him I was there to see Sheldon and he just assumed I was there to ask him a question. When Sheldon saw us talking he got all defensive of me and got real arrogant about how I was his girlfriend. He told the guy to take a hike. The guy told me if I ever wanted to get rid of a loser like Sheldon to give him a call."

"Oh I bet that made him happy."

"No actually Sheldon was very possessive. He told him that would never happen. He is a bit arrogant when it comes to a lot of things."

"Oh you aren't going anywhere."

"Yes but that doesn't mean he can hold it over people."

"Enough about that, how did it happen last night?" Hannah wanted to know all the details.

"How about we leave that for tonight. The girls are going to want all the details also."

"Okay." Hannah said frowning. "But at least tell me this, was it good?"

"It was better than good." Amy said blushing.

"I am so happy and a little jealous as well." Hannah told her.

"Jealous, why?" Amy asked.

"Well you got to have your first time with a man you truly love. That is special. I was so desperate for the attention of the boy I was dating I just did it. It wasn't special and it lasted like five minutes. I bet Sheldon took care of you." She replied.

"You mean he didn't make sure you experienced pleasure as well?" Amy asked. Sheldon was the perfect man. He wanted to make sure she was just as pleasured as he was. He felt bad for Hannah. "How about the second guy?" She asked.

"Oh he was much better. He at least attempted to take care of me and he did a few times but it was again mostly about him." She answered.

"I'm sorry." Amy said again.

"Why are you apologizing for being so happy?"

"I don't know. Sheldon was just so gentle and attentive. I never really thought about how some men wouldn't even care."

"You are a lucky woman."

"I know." Amy said. "Now let's get to work."

The two worked well together and came up with a plan for Ricky since they really wanted to wean him completely off the night time cigarettes but after what had happened the night before they weren't sure it was the right time. They decided to cut him off two cigarettes a day and leave two at night so he would be happy. They wrote up their plan and sent it their department head.

Sheldon got to work on time even with Leonard running late. He wanted to do some research and find the perfect gift for Amy. He knew it was too soon to ask her to marry him but he was definitely thinking about it. He was positive that was going to happen someday. But for now he wanted to get her something special. Penny had told him to buy her something that said how much he really knew her. He thought about all the different stories she told him over the last eight months. He knew quite a bit about her. She loved Medieval Literature, French movies, and harp music. He couldn't think of a gift that would cover those interests. She loved to read romance novels. He had picked one up one time when she was making dinner for him and he couldn't believe she read that kind of stuff. He remembered her telling him it was just for fun and a way to just let go of all coherent thoughts. He understood. He used comic books as his way out of thinking. They were fun reads but he didn't have to be a genius to read them.

Sheldon thought about stories from her childhood. She told him about how her father would read her fairytales before she would go to bed at night. He would tell her all about how someday she would meet her prince just like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty had. After he died, her mother tried to continue the tradition but it wasn't the same. Amy told him how she loved those stories but knew they were only fairytales. She knew her father was biased and that she would never find her Prince Charming. She threw herself into her studies instead of daydreaming. She didn't care about things like clothes or make up. She didn't need a boyfriend to feel complete. She loved school, but hated her classmates. She got good grades and graduated early just so she could get out.

He was lost in thought as he sat in the cafeteria with the guys.

"Sheldon!" Howard yelled for the third time.

"Huh? Did you ask me something?" Sheldon said.

"I didn't but Raj did." Howard said to him.

"What is that?" Sheldon asked him.

"Do you think Amy would give me Hannah's phone number?" Raj asked him.

"Why?" Sheldon asked.

"Well now that I can talk to women, I thought , that maybe I had a shot with her."

"I suppose I can ask her." Sheldon said distracted.

"Is everything alright?" Leonard asked him.

"Yes, I was just thinking of something." Sheldon answered.

"Oh yeah what is that?" Howard asked.

"I want to buy Amy a tiara." Sheldon announced.

"Well that isn't ridiculous or anything." Howard said.

"A tiara?" Leonard questioned. "Why a tiara?"

"Well I was thinking about what Penny said to me this morning. She told me to buy Amy something that shows how well I know her. She has told me about how her father used to tell her fairytales and he would tell her how she would someday find her prince. He called her his princess." Sheldon told them.

"And you want to replace her father?" Howard asked.

"Don't be stupid." Sheldon said to him. "No Amy is my princess. She needs a tiara."

"Okay think about this." Leonard said. "A tiara is quite a purchase. You will set the bar high if that is the first gift you give her."

"And she may think you are expecting something from her." Howard commented. He had no idea that the two had already slept together.

"What would I expect from her?" Sheldon asked.

"She may think you are expecting her to have sex with you." Leonard explained. Even though he knew, he thought he should be the one to explain it to Sheldon.

"Well that isn't the case. Besides…." He said dreamily, remembering the night before and earlier that morning, but then realized what he was about to say. He was not going to share his personal life with his friends. "I have to go." He said, quickly changing the subject and got up and left the table.

"Wait what?" Howard tried to stop him but Sheldon didn't stop until he was back in his office. "Was he going to say that they had sex?" Howard asked Leonard.

"Yeah they did." Leonard answered. "I heard them through the wall this morning. Plus I caught them in the shower."

"Well good for him." Raj said.

"Yeah good for them." Leonard said. He had to admit he was jealous. He wanted what Sheldon had.

"So he wants to buy her a tiara as what, a thank you gift?" Howard asked.

"No I am sure he just thinks that is the right gift for her. You know how Sheldon is. When he gets something in his head, there is no changing his mind."

Sheldon rushed into his office and started searching for tiaras online. He found a jewelry store at the mall that had several different types. He didn't think it was necessary to buy one with real diamonds but he didn't want to be cheap either. There was so many to choose. He finally decided on one that had crystals but not plastic gems. He was so happy with his choice and he was certain Amy would love it. He could only imagine her reaction. He made arrangements to pick it up after work that day. He would make some excuse to Amy why he couldn't go with him at the end of the day. He quickly walked over to Leonard in order to ask him to take him to the mall after work. Leonard agreed and they decided they would leave work half an hour early. He then headed over to the cafeteria to pick up lunch for him and Amy. He was thinking about Amy's reaction to his gift and was in his own world as he was walking back to his office.

Amy left work at noon to head over to Caltech. When she got there she headed straight to Sheldon's office. He wasn't inside when she knocked so she headed to the cafeteria. She figured maybe he forgot to pack his lunch and was picking something up to eat. As she was walking down the hall, she saw him coming towards her. He seemed to be in a different world. He wasn't even paying attention as he walked toward his office.

"Hey there." She said to him, getting his attention.

He looked up and smiled.

"Is it one already?" He asked her, checking his watch.

"Are you okay?" She could tell something was wrong.

"Oh yes of course. I am so glad you are here." He said, giving her a hug. He took her hand and they walked to his office.

"Did you get lunch today?" Amy asked him. She knew they had been running late that morning.

"I just picked something up. That is where I am coming from." He told her. He still seemed preoccupied.

"Sheldon, what's wrong?" Amy asked him.

"I told you nothing." He answered.

"Are you sure? You seem preoccupied."

"I am. I have something on my mind, but it is nothing to be concerned about." He said twitching his eye.

"Sheldon, you are lying. Your eye is twitching." She said. She had no idea why he would lie to her.

"Fine. I am lying, but it is for a good reason." Sheldon said.

"What is it?"

"It's a surprise." Sheldon said.

"What kind of surprise?" Amy asked.

"Now if I told you that, it would not be a surprise now would it. You will just have to wait until tonight." He said.

"Please." She begged.

"No now let's eat lunch. I am starving." Sheldon said.

The two went into his office and had their lunch. Amy told him about Ricky and the plan she and Hannah had in order to avoid incidents like the previous night.

"Speaking of Hannah," Sheldon said to Amy, interrupting her story. "Raj would like her number. Apparently he is thinking about asking her out on a date."

"Well that is quite the coincidence since Hannah wanted me to see if Raj was interested." Amy answered. "She is coming tonight so they can talk about it then."

"Terrific. I like Hannah. I think she could be a good match for Raj." Sheldon said.

"Yes and I hear he is having no trouble talking to women now." Amy said.

"How did you hear about that? I just found out this morning." Sheldon asked her.

"Penny told me when I ran into her this morning."

"Figures. She is such a gabby Gertie." Sheldon laughed.

"I think it is great that he can talk to women without being drunk. That would make for a horrible marriage. I still want to scan his brain and see what is going on in there."

"You know he will never let you do that, right?" Sheldon said to her laughing. "He thinks it is a bit creepy. He does not think your fascination with brains is nearly as sexy as I do."

"Yes I know. Well I am glad he does not find it sexy and you do. Raj has made it completely clear to me that his brain is off limits. It is a shame though. He would be a wonderful case study."

They finished their lunch. Then they sat and talked for an hour. It was almost three when she finally decided she should let him get back to work. Sheldon was unsure how to tell Amy that he needed to stay later, but she beat him to the punch.

"Hey do you think Leonard could take you home today?" She asked him.

"I believe so but why?" He asked.

"Well you asked me to stay this weekend. I need more clothes. I don't have enough at your apartment." She explained.

"Oh. Well maybe we need to make you some more space." He said, thinking it would be great if she stayed on more than just the weekends.

"That would be nice." She said. "Well I am going to leave now and let you get some work done today."

"Let's get going then." He said getting up to walk her to her car.

"You don't have to walk me out. I think I can manage." She said.

"Are you sure?"

"Sheldon! I am a grown woman perfectly capable of walking to the car. Plus it is right outside in your spot." She said laughing.

"Okay well I will see you later then. I assume you want the usual for dinner." He said.

"Yes and Hannah wants the same." She said.

"Will do. Leonard and I will be picking it up. I have an errand to run after work. Let yourself in if we aren't there." He said to her, handing her his key to the apartment as he walked her to the door of his office.

"Okay."

He gave her a kiss goodbye and Amy left the office. She walked to her car with a huge smile on her face. On the way out she ran into Barry Kripke again. This time he was with another woman. She tried to walk by without being seen but was not successful.

"Well hello again." He said to her.

"Hello." Amy said.

"Here to see Cooper again?" Kripke asked her.

"I have no other reason to be here."

"Well you could have changed your mind and came to find me. Oh Amy this is Leslie Winkle. Leslie, this is Amy." He said introducing the two woman. "She is dating Cooper." He said to Leslie in a stage whisper.

"You are dating Sheldon Dumbass Cooper?" She snorted

"So you're the Leslie I have heard so much about." Amy said to her calmly.

**Leslie meets Amy, well that should be interesting...**

**Okay so I know I reversed the scene in the shower and it place way before our timeline but let me tell you I thought that was one of the funniest scenes and I wanted it to play out. So I used Leonard as the one with the emergency. I hope you are all okay with it...if not, I won't apologize as it is my story and it added to it. **

**So tiara next and Sheldon isn't making up for anything. I hope I give it justice when I write the scene. **

**Remember reviews help me write faster.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thanks so much for the kind words that you all have given me in this story. I know I can't please everyone but those with positive comments are really appreciated. I am so sorry for the wait on my stories, life has gotten in the way. Anyway on with the story. **

**Special thanks to Boys3allC for your help with this one. It was definitely needed. **

**I don't own any of this:**

"_You are dating Sheldon Dumbass Cooper?" She snorted_

_ "So you're the Leslie I have heard so much about." Amy said to her calmly_.

"You've heard of me?" Leslie said to her snidely.

"Of course." Amy said as if it was obvious as to why.

"How?" Leslie asked. "Oh wait, I know how. You're dating Dr. Dumbass. So he told you our history."

"No I am not dating Dr. Dumbass, I am dating Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Sheldon is not anywhere close to being a dumbass. He did tell me your history."

"Not a dumbass? I bet he didn't he tell you about the math I corrected for him?"

"He mentioned that you touched his board. No one touches his board without his permission."

"Whatever." Leslie said, rolling her eyes. "What exactly did the dumbass say happened between us? I bet he failed to mention that he was an ass who never called me again." Leslie said crossing her arms.

"Oh please!" Amy huffed. She could not believe the gall of this woman. "Do you think I am going to believe that? You are crazy."

"Believe what you want but the fact remains he never called." Leslie said

"The only facts here are the ones you made up. I know Sheldon and he doesn't lie. If he chose to lie, why would it be about what happened to you? The facts here are you were the one who left him high and dry. Sheldon said he woke up the next morning and you were gone. And to make matters worse before you left, you touched his boards."

"And you believed him?" Leslie said, shaking her head. "I could get more than one woman in here right now to tell you that Sheldon Cooper has loved them and left them as well."

"How about just naming one." Amy said to her not the slightest bit worried. Leslie was just trying to make Amy feel less special out of jealously. Amy believed Sheldon when he had said he was with three women. Heidi, whom unfortunately she already met, Leslie, who left him after a night and Martha, who was fine with the one nightstand they had. There was no other past to dredge up. Well there was Ramona but he only dated her. They never slept together.

"Did he tell you about Martha?" Leslie asked. She had overheard Martha talking about her dalliance with Sheldon the next day in the cafeteria. It had made Leslie jealous that Sheldon had been very giving in bed with Martha and had been a fumbling idiot with her.

"I heard about the fling with Martha. They had an agreement. I even read the note she left for him the next morning asking if he ever wanted another night to call her. Which he has since ripped up and threw out."

"Oh." Leslie was trying really hard to make Sheldon look bad but he really didn't have much of a history. "What about Ramona, that graduate student? I saw her running out of his office crushed and crying."

"Please….Ramona was trying to get back together with him. They never slept together. Ramona wanted to share credit with Sheldon on a paper she helped him with."

"She actually thought that arrogant piece of…" Leslie started but was cut off by Amy.

"Yes she thought that the brilliant man that is Sheldon Cooper would share credit with a graduate student. But she was sadly mistaken. Sheldon was very grateful he hadn't slept with her. Now do you have anything else to add about my sweet babboo before I leave?"

"Well….he isn't very good in the sack from what I remember." Leslie tried thinking of their awkward time together. Leslie had really liked Sheldon and had been disappointed by his lack of skills in bed. Not being a patient woman, she did not feel like taking the time necessary in training him how to please a woman. Leslie thought it was a pity because he certainly had the right equipment if he could ever figure out how to use it right. It annoyed her now to hear of these woman having amazing sexual encounters with him. She felt like he was the one who got away. Maybe if she could turn Amy off of him, she could have her chance. She had overheard the guys talking and knew they had not had sex yet. If this chick was trying to give him blue balls, she would be more than happy to cure them.

"Maybe he wasn't with you but I have had no complaints." Amy smiled. She knew this would get to her.

"Oh please, he had no idea how to please a woman. And he has a small penis." Leslie said trying to cut below the belt and hoping someone would hear them and spread it around. .

"If that is a small penis than I don't want to know what a large one looks like." Amy told her with a sly smile.

"Okay I think I have heard enough about Cooper to last me a lifetime. Leslie shall we get going?" Barry interrupted. He had no desire to hear about Sheldon Cooper's sex life and his large penis...

"No now wait. Are you telling me that you and Sheldon Cooper…?"Had she heard wrong? If Sheldon and Amy had sex she wanted to know but again she started a question and Amy cut her off.

"I love him and he loves me. I never in a million years thought I would ever fall in love but I have and Leslie, it is pointless to try and get me to rethink my relationship with Sheldon, he is a wonderful man. It is as pointless as Barry here trying to hit on me yesterday."

"Excuse me?" Leslie said pointedly looking at Barry. "You hit on her yesterday?"

"Um, well, um…" Barry stuttered.

"Oh wait, are you two dating? That's perfect. You two are made for each other. Sorry to spoil your image of him, but yes he told me if I ever got tired of a loser like Sheldon to call him. Oh and before you say Sheldon is just like him, I have also talked to both Leonard and Howard. I know your history, Leslie do you Barry?" She asked him outright.

"No." Kripke said, looking at Leslie. "You've been with Hofstadter and Wolowitz? How many others have you been with? Are you working your way through the physics department?"

"I believe she is." Amy answered. "Now if you two will excuse me, I have to go to my apartment to get clothes for my weekend with Sheldon. It was nice meeting you Leslie, even if you did try to ruin my image of Sheldon. Barry, I would say it was good to see you again, but that would be lying."

Amy walked out of the building quickly and to her car. She let out a huge breath she didn't realize she was holding once she was inside the car. She couldn't believe she had run into Leslie Winkle and she had the nerve to tell her that Sheldon was the love and leave 'em type. Did she really think that would get her to leave Sheldon? Amy worried that maybe Leslie was like Heidi and wanted Sheldon for herself again. She smiled to herself. She, Amy Farrah Fowler, who had never had a third date before was with a man that it seemed everyone wanted to be with. Then again maybe Leslie did not want him, maybe she just wanted the kind of relationship they had. Amy was aware that Sheldon treated her well and doted on her publicly. Maybe that was hard for her to see after their disastrous fling. Leslie may be dating Kripke, but he was not exactly the perfect boyfriend. It almost made Amy feel bad for her, almost.

Amy arrived at home and went to her room to pack for the weekend. Contemplating what to pack she grabbed extra clothes. Sheldon had promised to make more space for her in his closet and give her a drawer. Amy was going to hold him to that. Amy planned on spending a lot more nights with him. Then she decided that she should make some space for him in her closet since he spent every other weekend at her place. It was not hard. She just moved her schematic over to the left and it left a space for his clothes to hang. Something about the thought of his T-shirts handing alongside her cardigans gave her a strange thrill. The operation had taken up some time and if she did not get going now she might be late. Just as she was ready to leave her phone rang. She really didn't want to answer it but had no choice when she looked at the caller ID and realized it was her mother. She reluctantly put her things down and picked up the phone.

"Hi mom, what's up?" Amy asked cheerfully. She was in a good mood and her mom was not going to change that.

"Amy you seem to be in a good mood. How are things going?"

"Things are going great." Amy answered.

"Well that is vague. Can you be more specific?"

"Your question was vague. You asked about things, I answered that things were great. If you have a specific question, I will be happy to answer it." Amy said sarcastically.

"Fine. How is Sheldon?" Her mom asked

"Sheldon is great. I am great. We are great." She said so enthusiastically her mother could tell things had changed.

"Amy what happened? I can tell something big is going on and I want you to tell me this instant."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Amy tried.

"Amy Farrah Fowler, don't you be coy with me." She said to her.

"Mom, I don't think you want to hear this."

"Oh sweetheart, trust me I want to hear this. Did you and Sheldon sleep together?"

"We have slept together on many occasions." Amy answered skirting around the question.

"You know that is not what I meant."

"Fine. Yes mom, Sheldon and I had sex last night. You are as bad as my friends." Amy said to her.

"Just last night?" Her mom asked.

"And this morning." She answered.

"Oh Amy, I am so happy. I like Sheldon. He is a nice young man. I think you two are very well suited for each other." Her mother answered. So her daughter had finally lost her virginity. She could not have given that gift to a better man. She liked Sheldon a lot even though they had only met through Skype calls. She thought that Amy and Sheldon had a real future together and she was eager to show him off to the rest of the family who had always thought Amy was a bit odd.

"Thanks mom. Now I really have to get going, I have a girls' night tonight after dinner." Amy said, checking her watch. She was already running late.

"Okay, I won't keep you, but I did actually call for another reason."

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"Well as you know, your Aunt Flora is going to be 93 years old in a few weeks."

"Yes and last I heard you and Aunt Barbara were planning a party for her." Amy lead, eager to be off the phone and out the door.

"Well we did. It will be held three Saturdays from now. Can you make it?"

Amy quickly checked her calendar. "I have nothing planned."

"Good, now be sure to bring Sheldon." Half the reason for such a large party was so that she could show off Amy and her real life boyfriend.

"I will ask him." Amy said annoyed, guessing now at her mother's motives

"Great, now have a great weekend. I will call you Sunday night."

"Call my cell phone. I won't be home." Blushing slightly at the things she might be doing on Sunday night

"Alright." Her mother said. "Bye, Amy. I love you."

"I love you too mom. Talk to you Sunday." She said and hung up the phone. She looked at her watch. She was going to be late. She hated being late, even though Sheldon had told her he had some errands to run.

Sheldon and Leonard left work early so they could go to the mall. Sheldon had picked out the perfect tiara and had it held at the store. Leonard dropped him off at the door and drove around the parking lot looking for a different spot than the first one he found. Sheldon saw the person's bumper sticker and didn't want to ask some random people about their grandchildren. Sheldon walked in to the store and immediately was hit with a barrage of sales people.

"Hello sir, what can I do for you today?" The man asked him.

"I placed an order online for a tiara for my girlfriend and was told it would be ready for me to pick up this afternoon." Sheldon answered him.

"And your name is?" The man asked.

"Sheldon Cooper."

The man went to his computer and typed in his name. He saw the order and told Sheldon he would be right back as he went to the back to get his order. Leonard walked in at that moment and told Sheldon he had called in the order for dinner.

"I am parked next to a car with a Gore/Lieberman bumper sticker." Leonard said to Sheldon upon entering the store.

"Well I doubt they will want to talk about that." Sheldon countered.

"So, do they have it?" Leonard asked.

"Yes he is getting it now." Sheldon answered.

"Are you sure this is what you want to get her?" Leonard asked.

Just as Sheldon was about to answer, the man came from the back with the tiara. He opened the package and took it out.

"Is this what you wanted?" He asked Sheldon.

Sheldon took the tiara and inspected it. It looked just like the picture from the website. It was perfect. Even Leonard was impressed.

"It's perfect." Sheldon said. "She is going to look beautiful in it."

"Is this for your wedding sir?" The man asked.

"Oh no, we aren't there yet." Sheldon said. "I just want my Amy to have a tiara. She is my princess."

"Awww, that's sweet." The sales girl standing next to the man said. "I wish I had a boyfriend like you."

"Yeah he is setting the bar high." Leonard said sarcastically as Sheldon was paying for his purchase. He turned to Leonard as they were walking out.

"Well maybe if you had bought Priya a tiara she would have stayed in this country and you would still be together."

"She cheated on me with her ex-boyfriend!" Leonard said to him.

"Like you hadn't been thinking about it with Alice from the comic book store." Sheldon said.

"I can't say I hadn't thought about it, but I didn't. We just kissed and I came clean with her immediately. She had been keeping it a secret for weeks."

"Well that was an ill-advised romance anyway."

"What do you mean?" Leonard asked.

"I mean that Priya was never going to marry you. Her parents never would have approved. She lives in India and do you think she would want to bring home an American boyfriend to show off to her parents?"

"I suppose you are right. That doesn't bode well for Amy's friend Hannah then does it?" Leonard said.

"Actually I believe this to be a different case. Priya was always going to go back to India. She just didn't have the decency to tell you that she was leaving until the last minute. And she really only told you because her parents said something during that video chat when you were there. If it weren't for them she may not have told you until she was boarding the plane. And as far as Raj, he will date whom he wants."

"I don't know about that. Remember Emily?"

"That is true but she was using him and we all knew that. It was a good thing Penny interfered and called his parents. They threatened to cut him off if he didn't break things off with her. I have met Hannah and have gotten to know her, I don't think she would use Raj for money. Besides just because they date doesn't meant they will end up together forever."

"You might be right." Leonard said.

"Was there doubt?" Sheldon said.

"I'm parked out this way." Leonard said ignoring Sheldon's comment. "We are going to be late. Everyone is going to be there already. How are you planning on giving Amy this gift?"

"I hadn't really thought about it. I guess I will give it to her when the time seems right." He answered.

The two left the mall and headed to the Chinese restaurant to pick up dinner. When they got home, everyone was there except Amy. Even Hannah was already there. Amy arrived about five minutes later.

"Sorry I am late, I got held up on a phone call with my mom." She said upon entering the apartment. She saw everyone was already there. "Hello everyone." She said.

"Don't worry about it. Leonard and I were also a bit late. We got held up as well." Sheldon said to her.

"Held up where?" Amy asked curiously.

"Never you mind." Sheldon said, giving her a kiss in greeting.

"Is this part of the surprise?" She asked.

"I am not saying a word." He answered her.

"What surprise?" Penny whispered to Leonard.

"I will tell you later." He whispered in response.

"She doesn't need to know." Sheldon said to Leonard.

"Damn his Vulcan hearing." Leonard commented.

The night went very well. Raj stuck to just imbibing water and had a very animated discussion with Hannah. When the girls got up to leave for Penny's, Raj asked Hannah if she would want to have dinner with him the next night. To which she readily agreed. Raj was thrilled, his first successful pick up since being able to talk to women.

Once the girls were out of ear shot of the boys and safely in Penny's apartment, the interrogation began.

"So Amy, what happened last night?" Penny asked her.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She answered, trying not to give everything away all at once.

"Oh come on Amy. I came here to get all the juicy details of your exploits last night." Hannah said.

"Wait what? You told Hannah but held out on me?" Penny pouted. "I thought I was your best friend." She said sticking out her bottom lip.

"She couldn't lie to me." Hannah explained. "It was written all over her face."

"I saw that too this morning but she was playing coy with me, telling me she wouldn't kiss and tell." Penny said to her.

"I gave no details to Hannah." Amy said. "All I did was confirm what you assumed we did when you saw me."

"So you two did?" Bernadette asked.

"And don't say you won't kiss and tell. We just want to know." Penny said.

"Fine. Yes we did". Amy confirmed. So what do we want to do tonight?" she said unsuccessfully trying to change the subject

The girls all let out a scream and were laughing and whooping

"Oh no way are we doing anything other than getting the details, girl." Hannah said.

"So how did it happen?" Bernadette asked.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that." Amy said. She thought this group of women would be familiar with the mechanics of coitus.

"I mean did you plan for it to happen or did it just happen." She answered her.

"Well I had definitely been thinking about it for a while. I was planning on telling him last night that I was ready. I knew we were going to spend the night together anyway. But after our fight I wasn't sure we would."

"Wait, what fight?" Penny asked.

"Oh Sheldon got a bit jealous when a couple of guys were hitting on me." Amy answered.

"Guys?" Hannah clarified. "As in more than one. You told me about the guy at the university. Who else?" She asked.

"What guy?" Bernadette asked.

"Barry Kripke." Amy answered.

"Ewwww, gross." Penny said. "He hit on me a few years ago. Sheldon had him over for dinner in an attempt to make him one of his friends. He creeped me out."

"Yeah, he is creepy. You want to hear something even creepier. He is dating Leslie Winkle."

"He is?" Penny asked. "No way."

"Yeah I ran into the two of them today on my way out of Caltech."

"And he hit on you yesterday?" Hannah asked. "What a jerk."

"Yeah it was news to Leslie too." Amy laughed remembering her face when she told her "Yet so was the fact that Leslie had slept with Leonard and Howard news to Barry. So I guess they were even. I have never seen a pair better suited for each other."

"Oh I don't know, you and Sheldon can give them a run for their money."

"Yeah enough about them, who else hit on you last night?" Penny asked, changing the subject back.

"Oh yeah right. Stuart at the comic book store was extra nice to me when I went in unaccompanied."

"I told you." Penny said.

"But why wasn't Sheldon with you?" Hannah asked.

"I had to call Dr. Hernandez about Ricky." She answered. "Sheldon went in ahead of me. When I went in, he was in the back of the store looking at some comic book. I didn't see him at first. Stuart came over and was trying to help me. He said if he didn't have what I was looking for he could get my number and find it for me. That was when Sheldon got there."

"But what did you fight about?" Bernadette asked.

"He actually thought I was enjoying the attention and that I was wearing some kind of pheromone that was attracting the men."

"He didn't!" Penny said.

"Yep, in front of everyone in the comic book store." Amy stated.

"So Sheldon has a jealous side?" Hannah asked.

"Apparently." Amy said.

"So you fought about that?" Penny asked.

"Well I stormed out of the store and locked myself in the car. I knew I would forgive him but I needed a few minutes to compose myself. Anyway, he ran out after me and forced me to open the door. He apologized for accusing me of hitting on the guys. He actually said he was jealous. I asked him if he trusted me."

"Good for you." Bernadette said.

"Yeah, I didn't know Sheldon could be so jealous." Penny said.

"Well he was. And I told him he was forgiven this time. I will not be as nice next time."

"So you made up and then what?" Hannah wanted to get to the juicy details.

"I think the rest is obvious." Bernadette said.

"No, I want to know how it actually happened." Hannah said.

"Me too." Penny said. "How was it?"

"It was wonderful." Amy said.

"So he was good to you?" Penny asked. She knew that a lot of men were the type to just make themselves feel good.

"Good to me how exactly? He was very kind and gentle with me since it was our first time together."

"No sweetie, I mean did he make sure you got your pleasure too, if you know what I mean…"

"Oh! You mean did he help me achieve orgasm. That he did more than once actually." Amy answered...

"I'm officially jealous." Hannah said. "My last boyfriend was good to me twice total."

"I'm sorry." Bernadette said. "Howard is good most of the time. Sometimes he just falls asleep after he finishes though."

"Well remember when I told you that story _The Miller's Tale_?" Amy asked.

"Yes." Penny said. "Wait he did that? You said if one cared about their hygiene."

"Yeah forget what I said." Amy blushed.

Bernadette and Penny let out another scream.

"I'm lost." Hannah said.

"Have you never heard _The Miller's Tale?_" Amy asked her.

"I think a very long time ago." Hannah said. "But I can't be sure."

"Amy told us that story a while ago when we dared her to tell us a dirty story one girls' night. She told this whole tale. I had no idea what the hell she was saying." Penny said.

"Yeah and anyway there is a part about a man kissing a woman's nether yea. She told us if we cared about our hygiene we wouldn't want to be kissed there." Bernadette added.

"So you are saying Sheldon kissed your nether yea?" Hannah asked.

"Yes and it was amazing." Amy answered.

"Now I am really jealous not a lot of guys like doing that." Hannah said.

"Make that two of us." Bernadette added. "Howard has attempted it once and it was a disaster."

The girls looked at Penny.

"What?" She asked them.

"Have you been kissed there?" Amy asked.

"Oh yes. Actually, Leonard did it all the time He is wonderful at foreplay." Penny answered. "And Kurt used to reciprocate if I did it to him first. But he sucked at it."

"You dated Leonard?" Hannah asked.

"Yes a couple of years ago." Penny answered.

"So after you broke up, you were able to remain friends?" She asked.

"Yes, we are better off as friends." Penny answered her. "We were in different places."

"And now?" Hannah asked leading.

"And now what?" Penny replied, feigning innocence.

"You have that look in your eyes." Hannah said, making goo goo eyes at her. "Are you in the same place as he is now?"

"It doesn't matter if I am or not .Right now, I think we will just be friends."

"Are you saying you would date Leonard again if he were to ask?" Bernadette asked her.

"I think maybe that I would? But it is not even worth thinking about, it won't happen. I totally broke his heart" Penny said.

"You never know. Ever since he broke up with Priya he has been miserable." Amy stated.

"Well anyway." Penny said desperate to change the subject." Amy I am so happy for you. What do you think will happen next in your relationship? Do you see marrying him?"

"I never thought about getting married before meeting Sheldon." Amy said thoughtfully.

"And now?" Hannah asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I can see a future with Sheldon."

"I think he feels the same." Penny told her.

"You think?" Amy asked.

"Oh definitely. Believe me, he loves you. I have never seen anyone look at another person the way he looks at you." Bernadette answered her.

"How about with the other girls?" Amy asked Penny.

"Nope not at all." Penny said. She was not going to get in trouble with Sheldon for spilling the beans. What she said was true though. She had seen Sheldon look at Leslie with loathing, Ramona with a mix of what she thought was lust then it turned to distain. She never saw Martha but that was probably just lust too.

"Well I think if he were to ask me to marry him, I would say yes." Amy told them.

"It wouldn't surprise me if that is soon." Penny said.

"Why would you say that?" Bernadette asked her.

"Oh no reason." Penny said. The wine was making her talk. She knew Sheldon was thinking about getting Amy jewelry and Leonard said he had found something perfect for Amy.

"What do you know?" Amy asked. She wasn't sure if it was too early for a proposal or not. She knew if he asked now she would no doubt say yes, but it worried her because they hadn't even been together a year.

"I swear I know nothing." Penny said.

"Okay." Amy said. She didn't want to know anyway. She knew there was a surprise but she didn't think he was there yet.

The girls had a great rest of the evening. They rented a movie and finished three bottles of wine. Amy was a bit tipsy but not drunk. She had a good time. She left Penny's apartment and headed over to Sheldon's. The guys had just finished playing _Zork._

"All done with girls' night?" Sheldon asked her.

"Yeah. Howard, Bernadette is a bit tipsier than me. You might want to go over there and get her. She may need help down the stairs."

"Okay thanks. Raj are you ready?"

"Yep." Raj said. "See you guys later."

"How's Penny doing?" Leonard asked Amy.

"The usual. She will probably be praying to the porcelain God tomorrow." Amy answered.

"I think I will go check on her." Leonard said to them.

"That is a good idea." Amy said.

"Goodnight you two. And do me a favor, keep the noise down tonight." Leonard laughed. Amy blushed.

Once Leonard left, Sheldon went into the kitchen to make tea.

"What kind would you like tonight?" He asked her.

"Actually Sleepy Time tonight. I am kind of beat." She said.

"You got it." He said. "So what did you girl's do tonight?"

"The usual, gossip, drink wine and then we watched a movie."

"What kind of gossip?" He asked.

"What do you think?" She asked him.

"Oh dear Lord." He said.

"Yep, they wanted all the details."

"Did you tell them?" He asked. The truth was the guys were interested as well and Sheldon may have overshared with them.

"Um, well…" She answered mortified.

"Don't worry about it. The guys got things out of me as well."

"Well the girls were jealous, well except Penny. Apparently Leonard is very skilled in what you did to me last night."  
"I didn't need to know that." He said.

"I don't think I did either. But that is what we do, we overshare." She laughed.

"So Hannah and Raj seemed to get along well tonight." Sheldon said changing the subject from their friend's sex life before he heard about Howard and Bernadette.

"Yeah, she really likes him. I hope they work out."

"He doesn't have the greatest track record."

"Yes but that was before his new found voice." Amy pointed out.

"True. So what is on the agenda for tomorrow?" Sheldon asked.

"Science museum, it is supposed to rain I think."

"Sounds good."

"Listen, I've had a long day so I think I am going to turn in for the night. Feel free to stay up later."

"No actually I was going to suggest we get to bed as well. I like to get to the museum the minute it opens. Then we have all morning before it gets really crowded."

"Sounds good to me. Maybe we can get up a little early and you can show me how those ducks work." She suggested.

"You little lady have a deal." He said as he swatted her behind as she walked down the hall. She giggled.

Sheldon let Amy get ready first and he changed into his pajamas while she was getting ready. When he was finished the cuddled together in bed and sleep overtook them quickly.

A couple of hours later, Sheldon woke up and Amy was not in bed with him. He figured she was in the bathroom but after a few minutes when she didn't come back, he got up to check on her. When he got to the bathroom, he heard the unmistakable sound of puking. Amy hadn't had much to drink so he knew it couldn't be a hangover.

"Amy are you okay?" He asked her.

"No I am not. I feel like crap." She answered him.

"What's going on?"

"I think it is rather obvious. I am sick Sheldon." She said angrily.

He opened the door and walked in. Amy was hugging the toilet.

"Do you need me to do something for you?" He asked.

"Take my place." Amy said sarcastically.

"You know I would if I could. Why don't I get you a glass of water and maybe some crackers? Do you think you are strong enough to make it back to bed?" He asked. "I will get a bucket for you."

"Can you help me?" She asked.

"Of course." He said, helping her up off the floor and putting an arm around her. Just as she was steady, she felt a wave of nausea and made it back to the toilet just in time to not make a mess. When she finished vomiting again, he got her back into bed. She fell asleep almost instantly. Sheldon laid next to her gently stroking her hair. She continued to vomit on and off for most of the night. The next morning she was still sick.

"I'm sorry." She said to Sheldon when she woke up.

"For what?" He asked.

"For getting sick. I know how you feel about others being sick." She said.

"Nonsense. You are my girlfriend and I care about your well being. How can I be angry at you for being sick?"

"Aren't you afraid you are going to get sick too? I know how you feel about germs"

"If I do, I do. What can I do about it? Even if we didn't spend the night in bed last night, we were together on Thursday night, so if you were carrying the germs then, I didn't stand a chance. I will get over it, just like you will. Now we need to figure out where you could possibly have picked up this parasite." He said.

"Get me my phone, I want to see if anyone else is sick." She said to him. When he brought it back, she had a text from Hannah saying she was vomiting and she had misplaced Raj's number. "It looks like Hannah is sick too." She commented.

"Wait, let me text Howard." He said.

"Why?" She asked.

"Just let me text him and then I will tell you my suspicions." He sent a text to Howard to ask if he was sick. He got a reply stating it was Bernadette and Howard was most definitely sick. "Ah ha!" He said.

"Care to elaborate." She said, before grabbing the bucket and emptying the little that was left in her stomach.

"You, Hannah and Howard all had the same thing last night for dinner. When you said Hannah was sick I wanted to see if Howard was as well so I could rule out a virus. That could have been the case since you and Hannah work together but I was right." He said.

"Okay, I get it we all ate the same food last night. Hannah and I work together, get to the point."

"My point is food poisoning." He said outright.

"Oh." She said. She immediately sent a text to Hannah telling her Sheldon's suspicion while Sheldon let Bernadette know as well. Hannah was relieved. She was afraid she had some awful disease that she could have passed on to everyone at the apartment the night before.

Amy was sick for most of the day, she got hot then cold. Sheldon had Leonard go to the store to get her some ginger ale and crackers, plus some chicken soup. Sheldon sat by the bed and took amazing care of her. She was so thrilled that he was there for her. Sheldon tried to do everything his mother had done when he was sick. He sang soft kitty to her. Then he made her soup and he read to her. Amy wanted him to read her a fairytale like her father used to when she was sick. Sheldon knew the stories since he had a sister who fell in love with the Disney Princesses just like every other little girl. Sheldon figured Amy was no different. He told her the stories Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. She fell asleep and when she woke she was a whole different person. She felt terrific.

"Thank you." She said to him.

"Why are you thanking me?" He asked.

"For being the best boyfriend in the world and taking care of me." She said.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I just hated seeing you sick. I am glad you are feeling better."

"I am feeling much better thank goodness. Sorry about missing the museum." She said sadly.

"We'll go in a couple of weeks."

"Oh speaking of a couple of weeks, my Aunt Flora's birthday party is three weeks from today and mom wants you to come."

"I'll be there." He said.

"You are the best." She said. She leaned over to kiss him but then pulled back.

"What?" He asked perplexed.

"My breath." She said quickly jumping up and running into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She came back in and he was sitting on the bed with a package. "What's that?" She asked, pointing at the bag.

"It's a gift for you." He answered.

"For me? I should be buying you a gift." She said pointedly.

"Again, I would do it all over again. Now here open your gift. I think you need a pick me up after the day you have had."

She took the bag from him and opened. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was jewelry like Penny said but this was not what she was expecting. She got the biggest smile on her face.

"Oh my god, it's a tiara! I have a tiara!" She said excitedly. "Put it on me, put it on me." He happily obliged.

"You look amazing." He said. "A true princess."

She looked at him and then lunged at him kissing him with all her might.

**Review if you liked it. Review if you didn't like it. I can handle it. **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: First I would like to start off saying I am sorry this took so long to update. It has been a crazy last couple of weeks. That plus a bit of writer's block as to where I was going to go with this story did not help. Well that being said, on with the story. What I have planned out is using various storylines from Shamy's five years together in this tale. So nothing will be chronological. Hope you enjoy this part. **

**I must give a special shout out to my Beta, Boys3allC for really helping me in this chapter. The shower scene, all her. If you haven't read anything of hers go do it...it's awesome.**

**As always I don't own the characters except Hannah she is all mine. **

"_Oh my god, it's a tiara! I have a tiara!" She said excitedly. "Put it on me, put it on me." He happily obliged. _

_ "You look amazing." He said. "A true princess." _

_ She looked at him and then lunged at him kissing him with all her might. _

She continued to kiss him and then he pulled back.

"What?" She asked.

"You've been sick all day. I think you need to keep up your energy." He said to her.

"I feel great." She said. She didn't understand why he didn't want it now.

"Listen. We have the rest of the weekend. Believe me, I am not rejecting you. I want to do this but not while you are weak. Let me make you dinner. Why don't you take a shower and I will see if I have something I can fix for you." He said to her.

"I guess you are right." She finally conceded.

"I know I am. Now you get dressed and meet me out in the living room. I will make dinner. Do you want anything special to eat?"

"I think something light. I don't want to eat anything really heavy."

"How about some soup and sandwiches?" He asked. "I don't really have a whole lot of stuff for that. There is still some soup left. I guess we can order some sandwiches and have Leonard go and pick it up."

"I can go get it after my shower." She said to him.

"No you will stay here and rest." He was insistent.

"Don't make Leonard get us food. I can do it." She was not going to make Leonard go.

Just as he was about to protest, Leonard called from the living room.

"Hey guys." Leonard called. He knew that Amy had been sick so he knew there was no funny business.

"Yes?" Sheldon called down the hall.

"Penny and I were just about to order dinner. Would you care to join us?" He asked.

"What are you getting?" Sheldon asked.

"We are ordering from the deli down the road." Leonard answered.

"Oh perfect." Sheldon said. "We were going to ask you to get us food."

"No we weren't but since you are going thanks for asking." Amy yelled to him.

"Not a problem. How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"Much better thank you." She said. "Thanks for getting the soup and ginger ale earlier."

"Again not a problem. Now what do you want for dinner?" Leonard asked.

Sheldon gave Leonard their orders and the money for the meal and he was off to go pick it up. Penny came over while Amy was in the shower.

"Hey Ames. How are you feeling?" Penny asked her as she came out.

"So much better. I hate being sick." Amy said.

"Me too." Sheldon said.

"And he is a miserable patient. I hope you never have to deal with him when he is sick." Penny said to Amy.

"Well after he took care of me so nicely, I will be more than happy to take care of him."

"I am not a miserable patient!" Sheldon protested.

"Need I remind you of Valentine's Day a few years back?" Penny asked.

"That was because you are the one that got me sick! And I missed going to the CERN supercollider because of it."

"A trip you were never going on." Penny commented.

"Oh that trip." Amy said.

"You heard about that?" Penny asked her.

"Yes we were talking about traveling one day and he mentioned he had a chance to go to Switzerland but that he got sick and couldn't make it."

"Did he mention that I was supposed to go and not him?" Penny asked.

"Yes he did and he told me about some silly agreement that he and Leonard had. I told him that he was ridiculous to hold some agreement that he had made years prior to girlfriends."

"Oh I am glad you are on board with that silly agreement."

"Do you know that Sheldon offered to write up an agreement for us to date?"

"He didn't?" Penny was shocked.

"I am sitting right here. And little lady I can still write one up." Sheldon laughed.

"And you know very well that I would not sign it. We don't need an agreement to date, just like you don't need an agreement to live with Leonard." Amy pointed out to him.

"Oh Amy I think I love you too." Leonard said to her as he was walking in the door.

"Excuse me?" Sheldon said. "She is not for you!"

"Relax Sheldon, I know she only has eyes for you. What I meant was I heard what she said. She is completely right. We don't need an agreement. I am willing to drive you to work every day without complaint. I would be willing to drive you to the comic book store and other places. What I would really like is if you would thank me for doing it."

"Perhaps you are right." Sheldon said.

"Wait what?" Leonard asked.

"I said you are right." He answered. "I am not sure what part of that you didn't understand."

"Are you saying you want to get rid of the Roommate Agreement?"

"I didn't say that. But maybe we could revise it and make it more user friendly. More like a revamp of it instead. We have already revised it a bunch of times since we both have had girlfriends."

"What have you changed?" Penny asked curiously. When she dated Leonard, Sheldon was a real stickler for the rules.

"A few things." Leonard said. "For instance the rule about a girlfriend living with us."

"Living with you? I only stay on weekends." Amy countered. "And he stays with me at least one weekend a month."

"Well the clause stated this: 'A girlfriend shall be deemed quote living with un-quote the roommate when she has stayed over for A: ten consecutive nights or B: more than nine nights in a three week period or C: all the weekends of a given month plus three weeknights.'" Leonard told her.

"I have not stayed all the weekends of one month. Like I said Sheldon stays at my place too." Amy tried.

"Well we changed the clause before it happened. You have been staying during the week as well." Leonard said. "And don't worry. I don't mind." He added to make sure Amy understood he wasn't upset about it.

"And then I know he changed the clause about shower capacity." Penny said. Amy blushed. "What else?"

"A few minor things but nothing of significance. Amy has made Sheldon much mellower. I appreciate it."

"Why thank you." Amy said.

The four had dinner and watched a movie. Afterwards, Penny and Leonard made their way back to Penny's apartment to hang out and leave Sheldon and Amy alone.

"Oh no, I don't know if I can live with them dating again." Sheldon said to Amy when they left.

"Oh don't worry about them. Penny has been having second thoughts about Leonard recently."

"Really? Oh that would make Leonard's day."

"Yes, last night Penny made it clear that if Leonard were to ask her out she would say yes. Of course she never thought he would because she really hurt him."

"Oh, Leonard would jump at the chance to date Penny again." Just as he was about to elaborate, Leonard walked in the apartment. "Did you strike out again?" Sheldon asked him.

"Sheldon!" Amy yelled at him.

"What did I say wrong?" Sheldon asked.

"No I didn't strike out." Leonard said. "We have decided to try again but we are going to take it slow."

"So by slow you mean…" Sheldon started.

"I mean we are going to take it slow. We are going to jump right into bed together again. Yes, I know we have slept together in the past, but we need to get to know each other again."

"I think that is sweet." Amy said.

"Yes good for you Leonard. Now try not to mess it up this time." Sheldon commented.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Leonard said.

"I'm just saying don't say or do anything too early. I would really like to see you guys happy." Sheldon said.

"Who are you and what have you done with my roommate?" Leonard asked laughing.

"What do you mean?" Sheldon asked.

"I mean first you are okay with revamping the Roommate Agreement and now you are rooting for me and Penny. Were you not the one who said that our children will be imaginary?"

"I am." Sheldon answered.

"What changed?" Leonard asked him.

"What can I say? I guess I am a hippy after all." Sheldon smiled.

"Thank you Amy." Leonard said to her.

"What for?" She asked.

"For making Sheldon a real boy." Leonard told her.

"You're welcome, I guess." She laughed.

"Goodnight then." He said and headed back to his room.

"Goodnight." Amy said.

"Well little lady, I think it is time for us to call it a night as well." Sheldon said to her.

"Yeah I am kind of tired." She said.

The two headed back to bed and Sheldon allowed Amy to use the bathroom first. He had some time to think about what Leonard had said about them living together. He knew they were with each other all the time and it would be so much easier if she were there all the time. He thought he would ask her thoughts on the matter.

"Hey Sheldon I was thinking." She said to him as she entered the room.

"About?" He asked.

"About what Leonard said earlier." She answered.

"He said a lot of things. You will have to be more specific."

"About us living together. Do you think we are?" It was almost as if she had been reading his mind.

"I don't think we are but we are together a lot."

"I do agree with that." She said. "But we aren't living together."

"No we are not." He said.

"Okay. I just wanted to be sure. I mean we haven't been together long enough to live together just yet." She said. She wasn't sure she believed that. She loved Sheldon and she wanted to be with him all the time but they had not even been dating a year.

"I suppose you are right." He said a bit disappointed. Living with her was what he wanted.

"What?" She could tell he was upset.

"Oh nothing." He said, lying to her.

"Sheldon you are lying." She said.

"I am not twitching." He said.

"Just because you aren't twitching doesn't mean I can't tell when you are lying. Now what is wrong?" She asked.

"I'm telling you it is nothing."

"Sheldon." She said seriously.

"Fine. I guess I was hoping you would think it was a good idea for us to live together."

"Really?" She smiled at him.

"Yes, really. We are together all the time. Don't you think it makes sense for us to live together?"

"I'm not sure." She said. The truth was she would love to live with him but there were a few things that were standing in the way.

"Well we don't have to decide anything tonight. But seriously think about it. I can't think of any reason why we shouldn't."

"I will think about it. But where would we live?" She asked.

"Why not here?" He asked.

"Well for one, you already have a roommate." She said.

"Oh well there is that. But we do have an agreement that we could have a girlfriend live with us. You heard us talking about it this evening."

"I don't think I would feel comfortable living with both you and Leonard all the time. It is one thing a few days out of the month."

"I guess I agree with that. Well like I said let's not thing about it now. Let's get some sleep. It is supposed to be nice tomorrow. I want to go to the zoo." He said.

"That sounds fun." She said.

"I knew you would think so." He said. He gave her a kiss and pulled her in close. They both fell into a comfortable sleep.

Amy woke up first the next morning. She had slept most of the day on Saturday so it was only fair to allow Sheldon to sleep in. He wanted to go to the zoo and she knew he liked to be there when it opened. As it was only 6:00 she didn't think he needed to be up that early. She quietly got out of bed and made her way into the living room. She decided she would make him breakfast as a thank you for taking such good care of him. He said he would do it all again. She hadn't had anyone take care of her like that since she was very little. He read her stories like her mom and dad had done. He sang to her. No one ever did that. Her parents couldn't carry a tune and every time they tried it made Amy laugh. They did try though and she always appreciated the effort they gave.

Amy found ham, cheese, peppers and onions in the refrigerator. She decided to make omelets. She was surprised to find some potatoes as well so she fried them up and made some bacon. Sheldon walked in just as she finished pulling the toast out of the toaster.

"Perfect timing." She said to him smiling.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"I made breakfast. I have been up for a while. Sit down while it is hot."

"It smells wonderful in here." He said.

"Good. Now sit down." She said.

He sat down and she put a plate in front of him.

"What time do you want to leave for the zoo?" She asked him.

"Let's leave in time to get there for the opening." He answered.

"That gives us a few hours." Amy said looking at the clock. "I know I need a shower since I never got one yesterday." She smiled at him.

"I think I should help. I wouldn't want you to fall because you are still weak." He winked at her.

"Oh I think I agree." She said.

"Well let's eat so we can get that shower." He said.

Leonard walked in just as they started to eat.

"What smells so good?" He asked walking in and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I made omelets. Would you like one?" Amy asked.

"Yes please." He answered.

Amy put the eggs on and made Leonard the omelet. He thanked her and sat down to eat. When they were finished, Leonard told them he would clean up since Amy made breakfast.

"You guys go ahead. I've got this. I am finished in the bathroom if you need to use it." He said. He knew they may want to use the shower so he made sure he had taken his as soon as he woke up.

"Thanks Leonard." Sheldon said. He and Amy walked back to his bedroom to get their things for the shower. Once they were back into the room, Sheldon pulled Amy into a kiss.

"What was that for?" She asked when they broke apart.

"For making breakfast, for being you. You name it." He said smiling at her. "I didn't know I needed a reason to kiss you."

"You don't, I am just not used to all this attention." She admitted.

"Well get used to it. Now I believe I need to prove to you that we will not fall in the shower."

"I believe you do." She said smiling at him. "But what about Leonard? He is out there."

"You will just have to be quiet." He said, leaning her against the door and kissing her again. Amy broke the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I am not worried about that. I am worried about him seeing us walk in there together." She giggled.

"Leonard is aware that we are intimate." Sheldon said, confused.

"I know. It just feels weird doing it so blatantly in front of him."

"Alright, I will shield you from view. Follow my lead." He said as he wrapped her up in his robe and pushed the door open. He slowly walked her to the bathroom, his broad shoulders and robe shielding her from view. Once safely inside he unwrapped his robe and let her out.

"I kind of liked it in there." She giggled, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing him. "It was warm and cozy." Amy wanted to be enveloped in his warmth and scent all the time.

"Perhaps I could just smuggle you everywhere with me like that." Sheldon told her, picking her up and sitting her on the bathroom counter. He kissed her deeply as he started lifting the hem of her nightgown up. Amy lifted her arms as he stepped away and pulled it over her head.

"We would never get any work done." She said as she pulled off his robe and started on the buttons on his pajama top.

"I could live with that." He said huskily as he started kissing her neck. He stepped between her legs and wrapped them around his waist. Amy moaned as he cupped her bare breasts and teased her nipples with his thumbs.

"I thought you were going to teach me about your adhesive ducks." She breathed as he sucked on her neck and fondled her. He was grinding against her and straining against his pajama bottoms.

"So I did." He said, stepping away from her and walking to the shower. He turned on the water and tested it before ripping off his shirt and stepping out of his pajama bottoms. Amy took off her panties and watched him as he stepped into the shower. The warm spray poured down on him, running down his chest and shoulders. He held out his hand to her and she stepped in to join him. He looked so sexy with his hair wet, the water dripping down his dark eyelashes made his eyes look even more blue. He handed her the soap and she began washing his body, starting at his shoulders and running slowly down each arm. Then she ran the soap across his chest and down his stomach. Her fingers played in the sparse hair he had there and he groaned as she made her way down his pubic bone. He stopped her before she reached her quarry.

"Your turn." He said, turning her so that she was under the water, taking the soap out of her hands and setting it down. He then wrapped her up and kissed her, his tongue teasing her. Amy melted into him and rubbed her body against his desperate for contact.

"Uh uh… You have not been cleaned yet." He said, breaking away and picking up the soap again. He started washing her, lathering her up slowly. He was deliberately ignoring the parts of her most aching for attention .

"Sheldon please." Amy begged, as his hands gently grazed her breasts before traveling down her stomach.

"I think you are clean enough now." He said. "Oh wait, we did not get your behind." He said and he turned her around facing the tile wall. "Now position your feet like this." he said, spreading her legs apart so that each foot is on a duck.

"Its like twister, right foot yellow." She laughed as he bent her down at the waist, placing both her hands against the tiles on the wall.

"Oh, I am going to twist you." He said in his deep voice. It sent shivers down her spine as he ran his soapy hands down her back. He stopped at her behind and grabbed more soap, lathering up her behind with special attention. He slipped one hand between her legs and ran it down her seam, swirling a finger around on her clit and making her cry out. His other hand ran up the length of her body before it cupped her breast and tugged her nipple. After all the teasing it did not take long for her to start feeling her body start to clench up. Before she reached her climax he removed his hand and she groaned in frustration.

"Has anyone ever told you how amazing your behind is?" He asked, grabbing it with both hands.

"Just you." She answered, moaning as he started teasing her again.

"That's right. Just me." He said, giving her a light slap before entering her, making her scream out in surprise and pleasure. He reared back and slammed into her again, the sound of their wet bodies connecting making a slap. Amy grabbed desperately at the wall for purchase.

"Oh.. Oh my.." She moaned as he moved inside of her, hitting her in exactly the right spot. His long deft fingers moved to the apex of her thighs, flicking across her clit. This time she found her release, calling out as she clenched around him. Sheldon let out a strangled cry as he came inside her, his fingers digging almost painfully into her hip as he pumped his orgasm into her.

"Okay now I think you are clean enough." He panted as he shut the water off.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After they snuck out of the bathroom, they went back to Sheldon's room to dress. Amy could not tear her eyes off of him. What they had done in the shower was beyond her expectations. Her body was still tingling with the aftershocks of her orgasm. Looking at him standing in front of his closet door in just his pants with no shirt made her want him again.

"Okay you were right." She said suddenly, mad at herself for not letting him do that sooner.

"Excuse me? I don't think I heard you." He laughed holding his hand up to his ear.

"I said you were right." She said walking up to him and pulling his hand off his ear.

"About?" He asked innocently pulling his under shirt over his head.

"About the shower." She answered, kissing him softly on the mouth.

"I told you." He said, smiling at her while putting on his other shirt.

"Yes you did. And let me tell you, I wouldn't mind doing that again." She admitted adjusting the hem on his shirt so it was straight and smiling shyly at him.

"Oh believe me, we will." He told her kissing the top of her head. "Now let's get to the zoo."

They walked out into the living room. Leonard was sitting on the couch watching television with Penny who had joined him

"Good morning, Penny. You are up early today." Sheldon pointed out to her.

"Sheldon it is 10:30." Penny said. "I am capable of getting up before 11:00."

"So what are you two up to today?" Leonard asked them.

"We are heading to the zoo. You are welcome to join us." Sheldon said.

"You know what, I think that sounds like fun." Penny said.

"Really?" Leonard asked her. Usually she thought it was childish.

"Yes really. It is a really nice day. We should spend it outside." Penny said.

"Well then, you better get ready. We would like to be there as soon as it opens, but we can be a few minutes late." Sheldon said.

"Give me twenty minutes." Penny said, dashing out of the apartment and heading to hers. She came back a bit sooner and the two couples left for the zoo.

The four had a great time and went out for dinner after. Amy was sad to see her weekend ending. She always hated Sundays because it was her last night with Sheldon until Friday. She was beginning to think about what he said about living together. She hated leaving him on Monday morning. And she had to leave so early so she wouldn't be late to work. If they lived together, maybe they could find a place in between the universities so they could have the same commute. The problem was Sheldon didn't drive and he would need a ride to work. She had to rectify that situation.

"Amy?" Penny said.

"Huh?" She said.

"Are you alright? You were out of it for a minute." Penny asked.

"Oh yeah, I was just thinking about something." Amy answered her vaguely.

"Anything I can help with?" Penny asked.

"No, just thinking right now. I am not sure if it can be solved quickly."

"Oh well if you need an ear, let me know." Penny said. "I am going to get going. I will see you tomorrow night for Thai food."

"Yes see you tomorrow." Amy said.

After Penny left, Sheldon and Leonard put a movie on. It wasn't something that was interesting to Amy so she took her laptop out and was working on some things for her study so she could be ahead of the game. She knew the study was coming to an end and she wanted to start looking for things she could research next. She was browsing topics when something caught her eye on her department's website. It seemed that UCLA was going to be teaming up with a group of neuroscientists from Caltech to research fear.

Amy immediately looked at the requirements for the research. She was thrilled to see she met all the criteria to study. She quickly sent an email to her department chair telling him she was interested in the position and that she would submit her resume to him the next day. If she could get this position, she could work at the same university as Sheldon and she wouldn't have to leave as early and then they could commute to work in the morning and in the evenings. She hoped it wouldn't be too much for Sheldon. She was beginning to think she should talk to him about it before she submitted her request but then thought it might be a nice surprise for him.

The next morning, Amy got up early and left for work. She gave Sheldon a kiss and told her she would be back later for dinner. When she arrived at work she was visited by her department head.

"Good morning, Dr. Hernandez." Amy said to him in greeting.

"Good morning, Dr. Fowler. How are you this morning? I trust you had a good weekend."

"Apart from some food poisoning on Saturday, it was pretty good."

"Oh food poisoning, that is awful. What kind of food did you eat?" He asked her.

"General Tso's chicken from Szechuan Palace in Pasadena." She answered.

"Have you talked to them about it?" He asked her.

"I think my boyfriend took care of that. I think I heard him on the phone at some point during the day. He was the one who figured out it was food poisoning and not some stomach bug. Hannah and a friend of ours also were sick. We all ate the same thing on Friday."

"Oh that is terrible. I hope they offered you a free meal or something."

"I have no idea." She said. "Not that I would want to eat there again anyways. What brings you here this morning?" She asked him.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot. I got your email this morning. I must say it didn't surprise me to see you would be interested in the position at Caltech. It is a very great research opportunity. With your addiction study ending, I see no reason for you to not get the position. There will be no need to submit a resume."

"Really? Oh thank you sir. Do you know how long the study will last?" She asked him.

"I believe they have a grant for about a year. But it could turn into a full time position after the study. Now I must say it would be a great loss to our university if you left, but I can't think of a better person for the job. Of course, you will have to interview over at Caltech. I have arranged for you to speak with President Seibert on Friday."

"I really appreciate it and I will miss this place terribly." Amy said. Just as she was saying it, Hannah walked in.

"What? Are you leaving?" She asked her.

"Oh Miss Robinson, good morning. I wanted to speak with you as well. Dr. Fowler has requested to be put on a new study which is a collaboration with Caltech. Now as Dr. Fowler's assistant, I would assume you would want to continue working with her."

"Absolutely, but what about my studies?" Hannah asked him.

"Well as this research won't start until June and you are scheduled to only have to intern in your last two semesters, I suppose we could count your work with Dr. Fowler as your internship, even if it is at a different university."

"That would be terrific. What is the study on?" She asked

"It would be a study to see if deficiency of the monoamine oxidase enzyme leads to paralyzing fear in monkeys." Amy answered her.

"That sounds fascinating." Hannah said. "I look forward to it."

"Well it will all depend on how Dr. Fowler does in her interview. But I am sure she will nail it. Now I am going to let you get back to work. You still have about a month left in this study. Good day Dr. Fowler, Ms. Robinson."

"Good day." The two said together.

"Wow, Amy, you want to work at Caltech. Don't you think you may get sick of seeing Sheldon?" Hannah asked her after Dr. Hernandez left the lab.

"No I don't. I actually don't think I would see him any more than I do now. Maybe more for lunches but I was thinking that through on my way in today. If I do get the job, I may suggest we still only have lunch by ourselves once a week. This way we won't get sick of each other. I can eat with you or with the whole group."

"That is good thinking. Have you told Sheldon of your plans?"

"No I was thinking about surprising him. I just found the position last night and wrote Dr. Hernandez about it. I had no idea he would be so receptive to the idea."

"Well I think you should let Sheldon know as soon as possible to get his opinion about it. Why do you want to work there anyway?"

"It was something Sheldon mentioned this weekend. He started talking about us living together."

"Really that is great."

"Oh he was wonderful this weekend. He took such good care of me. Oh by the way how are you feeling?"

"Much better. It wasn't too bad. I threw up for a few hours and slept most of the day."

"Same here." Amy said. "But Sheldon bought me soup and ginger ale. He read to me and sang to me."

"Oh that is so sweet. I felt so bad canceling on Raj." Hannah said. "But we are going out this weekend."

"That is great. You know what else? Sheldon got me a gift. It was the sweetest gift ever."

"What did he get you?" Hannah was curious.

"He bought me a tiara." Amy answered.

"A tiara? Wow. That seems like a perfect gift for you." Hannah answered. She knew her boss was just quirky enough to find that gift perfect.

"I know. He told me I looked like a princess when I put it on."

"I bet you did."

"Yeah."

Amy and Hannah worked well the rest of the day. She left work and headed to Sheldon's place for dinner. She would then go home to her lonely apartment. She really was thinking how great it would be if she were to live with him and work together. Sheldon was just putting the pot on for tea when she arrived.

"Hey you. How was work?" He asked in greeting.  
"Oh it was great. The monkeys are starting to get used to having less and less. Tomorrow we are taking the alcohol away and replacing it with O'Doul's."

"Sounds fun."

"How was your day?"

"It was pretty productive."

"That is good." She said. "So I have some interesting news."

"What is that?" He asked.

"It seems that UCLA and Caltech are teaming up for a study on fear and I have applied to be on the team."

"So what does that mean?"

"It means if I get the job, I would be working at Caltech for at least a year."

"Oh Amy that is great. I hope you get it."

"So you would be okay with me working at Caltech?" She asked.

"Why wouldn't I be okay with it?" He asked.

"Well there is the saying that one should not defecate where one eats." Amy said.

"I have heard that. My father used to say it all the time. He also used to ask who he had to orally gratify to get a drink. But I am not sure what that has to do with us working at the same university."

"Don't you know what that phrase means?" Amy asked. Here was a man with an IQ of 187 and he didn't know what it meant.

"I just figured you shouldn't move your bowels at a restaurant." He said.

"No Sheldon. Don't defecate where you eat means don't have a romantic relationship in the workplace."

"Really? Well that makes no sense." He said to her.

"Well that is what it means." Amy told him.

"Well I can tell you that it means that I no longer have to worry about going to the bathroom at the Cheesecake Factory anymore."

"Great. So you are okay with us working together?" She asked again.

"Amy, of course I am okay with it. We see each other all the time. I am sure we can handle working together. Besides, you are going to be in an entirely different building than me. We can maybe meet up for lunch."

"I was thinking the same thing. Maybe we can still have our weekly lunches together in one of our offices but the other days have it with everyone. Hannah would be coming with me."

"That sounds perfect." He said. "See we can get along just fine and work together."

"I am glad you think so." She said. "I was also thinking now I can stay a bit later on Mondays and we could commute to work together. I wouldn't have to get up as early."

"You little lady are just full of ideas tonight. We can play car games. Leonard hates playing them with me." Sheldon said.

"Well I love them." She said.

"So when will you know?" Sheldon asked her.

"Well Dr. Hernandez set up an interview for me on Friday with President Seibert. I guess I will know shortly after that."

"Do you want me to talk to him for you?" Sheldon asked.

"Absolutely not. I want to do this completely on my own. I don't want my boyfriend's influence to help me get a job." She stated adamantly.

"I promise I won't say a word." He said.

"Thank you. Now where is dinner?" She asked. "I am starving."

**A/N: Okay, now what happens if Howard mentions not wanting to work with Bernadette. They aren't married yet...hmmmmm. I know that there is still Aunt Flora's party to get through. I promise it will happen. I want Sheldon to meet her family and all the cousins and such that were mean to Amy.**

**Let me know what you thought of this chapter...leave me a review...good or bad, I can take it. **


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: First and foremost I have to thank you all for your patience with me and this story. For those of you that don't know I was having laptop issues which now have been resolved. I hope to get this out faster now. Anyway also thanks for all of the reviews that you have written for this story as well as the nomination for favorite crackship with Leslie/Sheldon for a Fanfiction award. Congrats to the winner but I am honored to be nominated. ****Okay a bit of angst. Enjoy! Thanks as always to Boys3allC for her help on this chapter...I can't do this without you. **

**I wish I owned these characters but sadly I don't.**

"_Well Dr. Hernandez set up an interview for me on Friday with President Seibert. I guess I will know shortly after that." _

_ "Do you want me to talk to him for you?" Sheldon asked. _

_ "Absolutely not. I want to do this completely on my own. I don't want my boyfriend's influence to help me get a job." She stated adamantly. _

_ "I promise I won't say a word." He said. _

_ "Thank you. Now where is dinner?" She asked. "I am starving."_

Before Amy realized it, Friday had arrived. Dr. Hernandez had set the interview up for 10am. Amy was told she did not have to go into work that day. Amy had been extremely grateful because she was incredibly nervous. She had not been on a job interview in 12 years and that had been merely a formality since she was a graduate of UCLA. She had stayed with Sheldon on Thursday night and drove in with him on Friday. She found the ride very pleasant and wondered why Leonard didn't enjoy riding with him.

Sheldon had kept his promise and not spoken to President Seibert. He knew Amy would never forgive him. He was also not sure it would help anyway as President Seibert seemed to be constantly annoyed with him. Sheldon had taken to placing suggestion boxes around his office and other places because he never wished to speak with him or listen to any of his ideas. This seemed to be a burden on President Seibert as well.

When they arrived at Caltech, the couple made their way to Sheldon's office. Amy looked around for signs of Kripke or Leslie and was thankful they ran into no one.

"Now I have a half day today remember. So we will be able to leave after your interview." Sheldon said to her.

"I know." Amy answered. "What are we planning on doing today?"

"I am taking you out for lunch to celebrate then maybe we can take advantage of an empty apartment." He winked at her.

"You don't know that we will have anything to celebrate." Amy said. "But I do like the second part of the plan."

"Oh come on, you are a shoo in for this job. You need to stop worrying. You are smart. You are at the top of your field and you're beautiful."  
"Sheldon! I don't think my looks have anything to do with me getting this job. Or at least they better not."

"Well okay, but they should. Besides your boss told you that you were perfectly qualified or he never would have set up the interview in the first place." He pulled her in to a hug and kissed the top of her forehead. "You will be fine."

"I hope you are right."

"I know I am. Now I am going to be right outside that office when you come out and then we can go celebrate."

"Sheldon, you do not have to come pick me up."

"Nonsense, besides I got an email last night saying that President Seibert wanted to see me at 11. So I know you will be finished by then."

"What does he want to see you about?" Amy was curious.

"He probably wants to answer one of my many questions. And this will be the perfect time to get him to answer them because he will be in such a good mood after meeting you."

"So now you are using me to get what you want?" She laughed.

"Whatever works?" He smiled at her. "Now you better get going it is almost ten."

"You're right." She said looking at her watch. "I guess I will see you in an hour. Wish me luck."

"You don't need luck. You've got this." He said. "Now go. I love you."

"I love you too." She gave him a quick kiss and left his office.

Amy arrived at President Seibert's office with about five minutes to spare. She walked up to his receptionist with a smile.

"Good morning. How can I help you?" She asked Amy.

"Yes, I have an interview with President Seibert at 10am. My name is Amy Fowler." Amy told her.

"Oh yes, from UCLA. I believe President Seibert is on the phone right now. Have a seat and I will let him know that you are here." She said. "Can I get you anything, a cup of coffee or water?"

"No thank you. I am fine." Amy said politely.

President Seibert came out about ten minutes later. He greeted Amy politely.

"I am so sorry about the wait. A donor called in to see how the research from his money was going. He wouldn't stop talking about it."

"Completely understandable." Amy said. She knew what it was like when a donor was constantly wanting updates from her. Faisal had been a bit of a pain at the beginning but she began sending him regular email updates and he backed off after a time. She followed him into his office.

"So Dr. Fowler, I must say you have quite the resume. And I have heard nothing but wonderful things from both Dr. Hernandez, your department chair and President Blake. They both will be sad to see you go if you decide to stay on here after the initial study."

"I would be sad to leave but this study seems extremely interesting and I love working with primates. I am currently finishing a study on addiction in monkeys and it has shown promising results."

"I must say I have seen that research and it is very well done. So with such a resume, I have to ask, why would you want to come here?"

"Well as I said, I find the study that is to be conducted extremely interesting."

"There must be other factors though." He said.

Amy had no idea what the man was talking about. She truly wanted to do the fear research. Was he trying to find out if she hated her job? She needed to answer this question carefully.

"Well sir, besides the research, this job would enable me to work a bit closer to home. I live in Glendale and have recently considered moving to Pasadena. Caltech is much closer. That being said, however, I am very happy in my current job. I will miss it terribly while I am here whether for the year or longer. I don't dislike my job. I have been at UCLA for 12 years. This is just an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

"I must say that was very well put and I am sorry if you thought it was a trick question to make you bad mouth UCLA. I assure that was not my intention. I was just curious as to why a noted neuroscientist such as yourself, being so stable would want to start over at a new place. Although since we did ask for the help, I am glad Dr. Hernandez was willing to give you up."

"There are many excellent neuroscientists at UCLA who will be able to take my place."

"I would guess as much or they wouldn't have been so keen to lose you. So now that I got the answers I needed and Dr. Hernandez did not give me any other candidates, I will say welcome to Caltech University, Dr. Fowler."

"So I got the job?" She asked surprised he made a decision that fast.

"Yes. Like I said, you were the only one recommended for the position. I don't think Dr. Hernandez wanted to lose anyone else. But I do hear you will be bringing an assistant. Is this true?"

"Yes, Hannah Robinson. She has been with me for the last two years. She will be beginning her internship with me in her last year as a graduate student."

"Well we will certainly be able to accommodate her. Now would you like a tour of the campus and your lab? I can call a graduate student to take you around."

"That won't be necessary. I was in your lab a few months ago getting a specimen for our lab. I was very impressed."

"Well thank you. So again welcome to Caltech and I will see you on May 1." President Seibert said to her.

"May 1 is perfect. Our addiction study should be complete in two weeks and then I will be taking a vacation. It is truly perfect timing."

"Oh speaking of vacations, I have an appointment with one of my more stubborn employees in about ten minutes. He is refusing once again to take his week-long vacation."

Amy raised her eyebrows. So this was why Sheldon had an appointment with President Seibert. Amy had no idea that he would not take vacations. Maybe he could take it with her since it was the same week as her aunt's birthday party in Santa Barbara. They could go up a few days early. She was hoping he would be agreeable to going.

"Oh well I am sure he has his reasons, although I must say that I can't imagine not taking a vacation. It is the perfect time to recharge." Amy says demurely.

"I should enlist you to talk to him! This particular man doesn't think he needs to recharge." Amy giggled. President Seibert had no idea that she was involved with Sheldon. This could be fun.

" You think I could talk to him? I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be." Amy winked at him.

"Probably not, this man is so stubborn nothing could get through to him." He laughed and Amy laughed politely. It is not untrue "I will walk you out. Knowing Dr. Cooper, the man we were discussing, he will be out there. The man is never late. Maybe you can tell him your thoughts on vacations."

"I will do my best." She said to him smiling serenely.

The two walked out of his office. Just as President Seibert had predicted, Sheldon was sitting outside waiting. Amy walked over to him.

"Well?" Sheldon asked expectantly.

"I got the job." She told him excited.

"I knew you would." He said and hugged her.

"Wait... you two know each other?" President Seibert asked confused.

" I certainly hope she knows me. We've been dating for almost a year." Sheldon told him plainly.

"You really have a girlfriend? I truly thought your friends were lying when they said you were having lunch with her every Friday."

"Why would they make up a story like that?" Sheldon asked him confused.

"To keep the truth of what you were really up to from me. I was beginning to think you may be looking for work elsewhere."

"I would never." Sheldon said incredulously.

"Good to know. Now down to business."

"Ah yes, I assume you'd like to respond to one of the suggestions I put in the box outside this office." Sheldon said crossing his arms.

"No!" He said exasperated. "And stop installing suggestion boxes everywhere."

"You don't like written suggestions. You don't like them when we are urinating. I am beginning to believe you are one of those people who don't like suggestions."

"Dr. Cooper, the physics department chair is telling me that you are refusing to take your vacation again this year."

"I don't need a vacation. I take every other Friday afternoon off, isn't that enough?" Sheldon asked him.

"You have to take your vacation. And I will point out that the number one suggestion I get in the suggestion boxes you keep installing is 'Can Dr. Cooper take a vacation?' Now you are going to take next week off whether you like it or not."

"Actually can I make a suggestion?" Amy asked him sweetly.

"Yes, what is that?" Sheldon asked with an edge to his voice. This conversation was vexing him.

"Well I will have a week off in two weeks, after my study is complete. Can I suggest that Sheldon take that week off and I can make sure he doesn't try to sneak back into work with Leonard?"

"Amy, I don't need a vacation!" Sheldon protested.

"Now, Dr. Cooper, I think you should listen to your girlfriend. She is a very smart woman. I will agree to that arrangement if you do as well."

"But I really don't need…" Sheldon started but Amy cut him off.

"Sheldon! You can take this deal and still work for two weeks or you are taking next week off. Did you not hear the man? He was going to tell you not to come in next week. I have off in two weeks. We can do something together."

"Well I suppose you could be right." He mused a vacation with Amy did not seem to bad.

"Wise decision. Thank you, Dr. Fowler, for talking some sense into your stubborn boyfriend. You are right you can be very persauive." President Seibert said to her. "I would keep this one around if I were you, Dr. Cooper. I guess I will let you two go and I will see you in May."

"Thank you, President Seibert." Amy said to him.

President Seibert went back into his office after saying goodbye. They heard him mumbling about calling his wife to talk to her about Amy.

"Why is he so surprised you have a girlfriend?" Amy asked him.

"I have no idea." Sheldon said to her, taking her hand and walking out of the office. "You are not my first girlfriend. I am pretty sure he heard about Ramona. However you are my most serious one. And I pray you will be my last one."

"What do you mean by that?" Amy asked him seriously.

"Oh well, what I meant was, um, I uh." Sheldon stumbled over his words. He had no intentions of letting Amy in on his plans for their first anniversary, which was just around the corner. He knew he had to think of something. "I mean to say, you are my girlfriend now. I love you." He tried.

"I love you too but that isn't an answer to the question." Amy said. "What do you mean by last girlfriend?"

"I mean there will never be another girl in the world that will ever compare to you. You are it for me, Amy Farrah Fowler." He said. He looked around and gave her a kiss.

"Nice save buddy." Amy laughed. She had a feeling he was hiding something but was not going to push him.

"So, lunch? Where do you want to go?" He asked.

"How about we have it here? That way we have more time at your apartment before everyone arrives tonight." She answered biting her lip and giving him her best come hither eyes. Sheldon catches her drift and coughs.

"Let's go then." He said. He was anxious to get her home. In fact if it were up to him they would skip lunch entirely now.

They made their way to the cafeteria and sat down with the rest of the guys.

"Hey I thought you were going out for lunch today?" Leonard commented as they sat down.

"Yes, well Amy decided we should stay here." Sheldon answered.

"Don't you have the rest of the day off?" Raj asked.

"Yes." Sheldon answered.

"So what are you doing here then?" Raj commented. "Why would you want cafeteria food when you could have a real meal somewhere else?"

"I just don't feel like going out." Amy replied coloring slightly. If they knew what her plans were they would tease them relentlessly.

"Oh, how did the interview go?" Leonard remembered.

"Excellent. I start May 1. Apparently I already had the job. The interview was just a formality." She answered.

"Well congratulations." Leonard said.

"Yes, congratulations. Now why did you let her talk you into eating here? You should be out celebrating." Raj said.

"Oh we will celebrate." Sheldon said nonchalantly, winking at her. Amy blushed furiously.

"Sheldon!" Amy yelled at him. She was completely embarrassed. She couldn't believe he had just said that to the guys. Now let the teasing begin.

"What? I didn't say how we were celebrating." Sheldon defended.

"You didn't have to." Howard laughed.

"Oh." Sheldon said. He hadn't been thinking when he said those words. "I'm sorry Amy. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"It's okay. You just need to think sometimes before you speak." She said, smiling at him. He smiled back.

"Did Sheldon just apologize without being told to do so?" Howard whispered to Raj.

"Yes I did." Sheldon said. "I guess I wasn't thinking about what my statement implied and it was rude of me to put our personal business out to you guys so I apologized. I don't understand the confusion."

"Damn his Vulcan hearing." Howard said.

"Now if you will excuse us, we are leaving." Sheldon said, getting up from the table. Amy followed. "Leonard, I trust you are picking up dinner tonight?"

"Yes, I will pick it up on the way home. I'm leaving today at 5:00. I should be home by 6:00. We can have dinner then do game night. What are we playing tonight?"

"Let's play _Oregon Trail_. We haven't played in ages." Raj suggested.

"Why do you always suggest that game?" Howard asked. "No one has played Oregon Trail since 1992."

"Maybe I'm hoping one of these weeks you will say yes." Raj answered.

"I'm good with it." Leonard said. He had been on the Oregon Trail team in school. The only game he was better at was Where's Carmen Sandiego?.

"Really?" Howard asked shocked.

"Yes, maybe if we play it he will shut up about it." Leonard answered.

"I agree." Sheldon said. "Now I will see you gentlemen later for a spirited game of _Oregon Trail."_

Amy and Sheldon left Caltech and made their way to Sheldon's apartment to celebrate.

At precisely 6:00, Leonard came home with all the food. He cautiously walked into his apartment for fear what he may walk in on. He found Sheldon and Amy sitting on the sofa watching television.

"How was your afternoon?" Leonard asked.

"Very nice, thank you." Amy answered. Leonard didn't need to know anything more than that.

"Great well everyone should be here soon." He said. As if on cue, Penny walked through the door.

"Is dinner here?" Penny asked.

"Like you don't know." Sheldon answered. "It's like you have food radar. You arrive as soon as it gets here."

"Okay I get it." Penny said. "So Amy, how was your day with Dr. Whackadoodle here?"  
"Good thanks." Amy answered, avoiding eye contact. She had a lot she wanted to talk to the girls about but didn't want to give anything away until then.

Howard, Bernadette and Raj arrived shortly after and they all had dinner together. After dinner the girls left to go Penny's while the guys stayed behind to play video games.

"Bad news guys." Raj started. "My _Oregon Trail _game is missing."

"Shucks." Howard said.

"Why don't we just play _Mystic Warlords of Ka'a _instead?" Leonard suggested.

"No, it's video game night." Sheldon whined.

"I'm up for Ka'a." Howard said.

"Me too." Raj agreed.

"Fine. I guess I will play." Sheldon said.

"Like you had a choice." Howard said.

The guys set up the game and began to play. The topic of conversation turned to Amy and working at Caltech.

"So Amy starts on May 1?" Raj asked.

"Yep in three weeks. She is very excited." Sheldon said. "We are going on vacation the week before."

"What? You are taking a vacation?" Leonard asked shocked.

"Yes, Amy talked me into it. We are going to Santa Barbara for a long weekend. Her aunt is turning 93 and I promised to go to the party with her."

"Oh meeting the family for the first time. That should be fun." Howard said sarcastically.

"I have met her mother."

"Via Skype." Leonard said.

"True but I have spoken to her more than once. She seems to like me."

"So let me get this straight, you are going on a vacation with Amy, then she begins working at Caltech?" Howard asked.

"Yes." Sheldon answered.

"You are a brave man." Howard said.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you sure you want to work with your girlfriend?" Howard asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Sheldon was confused. He wanted more than that. They had actually discussed living together again that afternoon. It was beginning to become more of a possibility.

"I think it could be romantic." Raj said. "My parents met at his place of employment."

"Your father is a gynecologist." Leonard pointed out.

"Yes, what started out as a pap smear, turned into a date, which turned into her working there, which turned into marriage, which turned into hatred which continues to this day." Raj said.

"But Amy and I have already talked it out. We know there can be drawbacks. We have decided that we should just keep the schedule that we have now. We will have lunch together just ourselves on Fridays and then she and Hannah will join all of us the other days."

"Hannah is coming as well?" Raj said.

"Oh great, Raj's girlfriend is coming as well." Howard said.

"We have gone on one date." He said.

"Do you want to work with her?" Howard asked.

"I am not sure. But we just started dating so I am not worried."

"I'm just saying. I am about to get married. I'd never want to work with Bernadette. Can you imagine seeing someone all day long and then you're supposed to hang out with them after work too."

"Hold on. We do that all the time. You and I work together and play together." Raj said to him.

"Yeah, I know, and it drove me into the arms of another woman."

"Hey that is offensive." Raj said.

"Well I am just saying I wouldn't want to work and live with a woman. But then again, you and Amy don't live together." Howard said.

"Close enough." Leonard said.

"Well even if we did live together and work together, it will work out fine." Sheldon said.

"I hope you are right. Bernadette would drive me crazy."

"Perhaps you are right. I think I need to talk to Amy." Sheldon said. He wanted to be sure things would be okay with them.

"Oh you don't want to do that." Leonard said, but Sheldon was already going out the door. "This isn't going to end well."

**Penny's apartment: **

"So Amy, what will you be working on at Caltech?" Bernadette asked her.

"I will be leading a study to see if deficiency monoamine oxidase enzyme leads to paralyzing fear in monkeys." She answered

"Oh. If they're anything like humans, the answer's yes." Bernadette said to her.

"Wait, you've done this experiment on humans?" Amy asked.

"You mean like death row inmates with nothing to lose? No that would be unethical." She answered looking away and taking a sip of her wine.

"You know not a lot of people know this, but the monoamine oxidase enzyme was discovered by a woman, Mary Bernheim." Penny weighed in on the conversation going on around her. Bernadette and Amy stared at her in shock. Then she showed them her phone. "That's right, my phone is just as smart as you guys." She said laughing. The girls laughed and then they heard a knock at the door.

_Knock knock knock _ "Amy, Bernadette, Penny." They heard it three times.

"He's never going to going to stop doing that is he?" Bernadette asked Amy.

"I know, but sometimes his love of repetition is a blessing." She said smiling at the girls, while getting up to answer the door. The girls looked at each other knowingly.

Amy answered the door for Sheldon. "Hey what's up?"

"Can we talk?" Sheldon asked her.

"What is this about?" She asked concerned.

"I am having some doubts about us working at the same place." He said to her.

"Sheldon, I don't understand. I thought you said you were fine with it." Penny said to him.

"I was, but that was before Howard explained to me how awful it would be if he had to work with his significant other." Sheldon answered her.

"He said what?" Bernadette asked incredulously.

Sheldon was at a bit of a loss but what did he care. Howard did say he didn't want to work with her but he thought he would at least try and pacify things. "Now, don't be insulted. He just thinks too much of you would be mind-numbingly tedious." Sheldon said to her. Now that he thought about it, what he said may not have been helpful.

"Excuse me, I need to have a chat with my fiancé." Bernadette said getting up to walk across the hall to speak with Howard.

"Yeah, well, now keep it short. From what I gather brevity is your friend." Sheldon said to her. He knew Howard was in trouble.

"So what do you think?" Sheldon asked. "Do you think we could get sick of each other?"

"Why don't I give you guys some privacy." Penny said, getting up and walking over to the other apartment. She wanted to see how Howard was going to worm his way out of this one.

"Thank you." Sheldon said to her.

"Come in here and sit down." Amy said. Sheldon followed her into the apartment and sat down on the couch. "Now what is the problem? We talked for a long time this afternoon about a lot of things. Not one time did you have a problem with me working at Caltech. Are you really telling me that Howard convinced you that it would be a problem?"  
"No, I mean yes, I mean no. I don't know. He said some things that got me thinking."

"What exactly did he say?"

"He basically told me that we would get sick of each other. Do you think that could happen?"

"I think there is the possibility that we could. But I also think we are adults in an adult relationship and I think we could talk about it."

"I don't want to get sick of each other though. I mean this afternoon we spoke about moving in together now that you would be working at the same place, but what if we are fighting, there will be nowhere for us to go."

"Sheldon, again, we are adults. I know we will be able to work things out. If you are that worried, I can pretend I don't know you, but since there are many at Caltech that already know we are a couple, including President Seibert, I don't think that will work. We don't have to move in together until we know we are comfortable with my working with you."

"I don't want to ignore you."

"Well I am glad to hear that. Besides, didn't you date Ramona while you were working together?"

"That is true, but we all know how that turned out."

"Yes but I will not be working directly with you. I won't want credit for your work."

"Right as always." He said.

"So are we good?" She asked.

"Yes, I feel much better, thank you." He said.

"You're welcome. Now we better get over to your place and make sure everything is okay." Amy said to him, but just as they were about to head over there, Bernadette came out screaming.

"You are not staying at my apartment tonight buddy. You better hope your mom doesn't have a man over." She screamed and slammed the door. Penny was following behind.

"On second thought, I think I will stay here." Amy said. "I'll be over in a little while." She said.

"Okay. See you soon. I love you." He said.

"I love you too." She said. He walked back into his apartment. Amy turned to go into Penny's. She heard Bernadette seething.

"He had the nerve to lie to my face. He wouldn't admit it, but I know he thinks my voice is annoying. Oh that man!"

"I know. Howard has no tact." Penny agreed.

"I can't believe he wouldn't want to work with me. Who wouldn't want to work with me? Everyone in my company loves me. I am like the sweetest person I know. I should be in a tree baking cookies."

"I agree." Penny said quickly. She knew better than to get on her bad side.

"Me too." Amy agreed. "Howard just doesn't know any better. He will see he was wrong soon enough."

"I guess. I mean, I don't get it. Those guys spend all day together at work and then they hang out and play games and go to the comic book store. I just wish he would want to spend that much time with me."

"I know what you mean." Penny said. "That was such a pain in the ass when I was dating Leonard. It is different now though. He is going out of his way to spend time with me."

"Sheldon is the same way." Amy said.

"I am sure Howard will come around." Penny said.

"I think it's because Raj doesn't have a girlfriend. When Sheldon and Leonard are out with you guys, Raj is by himself. Last week they got a couples massage together."

"Well he is seeing my assistant, Hannah. Maybe that will work out and Howard can spend more time with you."

"I guess you guys are right. I just feel like I am planning this wedding all by myself. And with him getting ready to go to space, it makes it even worse. He will be in training all next week. That is why I was so happy he was actually leaving his mother's for the weekend to spend with me. He leaves Monday morning to go to Houston."

"Well maybe you should talk to him after you have calmed down." Amy suggested. "You don't want him leaving thinking you are angry."

"You're right. I will talk to him in a little while. I just was upset because of all people I would think it would be Sheldon that would have an issue working with his significant other."

"What do you mean by that?" Amy asked.

"Come on, you know what I mean. Sheldon is well….Sheldon. He doesn't like change."

"I know he doesn't like change, which is why I talked to him about it first."

"Did you though? Didn't you send an email to your boss asking about the job?" Bernadette asked her.

"I asked about the job. He told me he could get me an interview. Then I went to Sheldon and told him about it that night. If he didn't think it was a good idea, I could easily have called my boss and told him I changed my mind."

"That is crap and you know it. You want this job and you deserve it. Why do you need permission from your boyfriend to take a job? I didn't ask Howard if I should take the job I have before I took it."

"Yes and let's think about how that has worked out for you. Didn't you buy him a Rolex right after you got the job and he left because he couldn't handle how much more money you make. And didn't you just recently tell me that your father wants you to get a pre-nup because you make so much more money?" Amy asked.

"Your father wants a pre-nup?" Penny asked.

"Well I do make more money than he does." Bernadette said.

"I understand that but you didn't ask Howard if he thought it was a good idea for you to take that job. And I recall you being a bit angry he didn't ask about going to space. Didn't you tell on him to his mother? I asked Sheldon because I value his opinion. I think he probably would have supported me either way. In fact I told him if he wanted to we could ignore each other at work except on Fridays when we always have lunch, but he said no to that."

"You actually told him that?" Bernadette asked.

"Yes, you know why? Because I love him and I want his opinion and I don't want to lose him. And I resent the fact that you think Sheldon couldn't handle this change. I think you are just jealous because my boyfriend wants me around while yours thinks you would drive him crazy."

"I don't have to take this." Bernadette said. "I am going to go and get my fiance and make up with him."

"You do that." Amy said. "And learn to appreciate him and his opinion."

"Whatever." Bernadette said. "At least I have a normal boyfriend who doesn't need a schedule to do everything. You probably have a scheduled sex life."

"Damn." Penny said.

"You know what? Howard was right. You are a pain in the ass." Amy yelled.

**Sheldon's apartment: **

Sheldon came back into his apartment and Howard immediately attacked him.

"Thanks a lot Sheldon."

"Um, you're welcome." Sheldon said confused.

"Sarcasm." Leonard said.

"Oh well, how am I supposed to know that?" He asked.

"Thanks to you, I have to go home to my mother's house tonight." Howard said to him.

"How is that different than any other night of the week?" Sheldon asked

"I was supposed to spend the weekend with Bernadette because I leave for astronaut training on Monday. Now thanks to you she doesn't want anything to do with me."

"How is it my fault?" Sheldon asked.

"If it wasn't for you, she would never have known how I feel about working with her."

"Well maybe you should think about not sharing how you feel about it. Have you not learned that whatever is said within this group is spread like wildfire?"

"But you went right over and told her."

"I did no such thing. I just pointed out that I didn't want to have an issue working with Amy like you would have working with Bernadette." He said. Then he stopped and looked up. "Oh…now I know. I am sorry. But I am sure you will work it out. She will come around."

"Yes but when? I leave Monday and then I go into space a few weeks after that." Howard said.

"Maybe you should just apologize." Raj said.

"Why? It wasn't my fault." Howard said.

"It was. You said those things. Just because Sheldon relayed the message doesn't make it any less your fault." Raj told him.

"Maybe but I think I will wait until tomorrow. Give her some time to cool off."

"Wise decision. You certainly don't want to try and talk to a woman while they are being irrational."

"Like you would know." Howard said.

"What do you think Amy and I get along all the time? Just because I don't talk about it doesn't mean we don't have our arguments. It is just that we communicate with each other and it works out. Just today I slipped up and told her I hoped she was my last girlfriend. She misinterpreted it to mean that I was going to break up with her, at least that is what I believe she thought."

"You said that to her?" Leonard asked.

"Yes but I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I meant she is it. I don't want to have to ever look around again. If she dumps me for some reason, I will never date again. This last year has been the best of my life. As a matter of fact we are seriously considering moving in together." Sheldon said.

"Really? Oh that is so great." Raj said. "And it is all because of me."

"Hey I helped." Howard added.

"You are right. If you hadn't blackmailed me, I never would have met Amy. I guess I should thank you." Sheldon said.

"You are very welcome." Raj said.

"So if I were you, Howard, I would just give her time. She will come around." Sheldon said. "And by the way, Amy and I are fine. I spoke with her about my fears. She even offered to ignore me while we were at work."

"Why can't we do that?" Leonard asked.

"Anyway, we decided that we will be fine. We may wait to see how the job works out before making any living decisions but I don't see a problem if we keep talking. That is my advice to all of you. Communicate with your significant other then you will be all good."

"Damn, I never thought I would see the day where I would be getting dating advice from Sheldon Cooper." Howard said.

"Yeah, Amy really has changed you for the better." Leonard said.

"What can I say? I have turned into a hippy." Sheldon said.

The guys started playing the game again when they heard yelling from the other apartment.

"That can't be good." Raj said.

"No it can't be. It sounds like Amy and Bernadette." Leonard said.

Then they heard the door slam open and more shouting from the hall.

"Maybe I will go and tell him now." Bernadette shouted.

"You probably should because now that we all know I am sure the guys will find out." Amy yelled back.

"Hey, what are you trying to say?" Penny screamed.

"Oh come on bestie, we all know you have a big mouth. I am sure Leonard will hear all about Bernadette's pre-nup before the end of the night."

"Well what about you? You are the one that told Sheldon last year that Bernadette had been thinking about breaking up with Howard."

The guys just looked at each other.

"Should we do something?" Raj asked.

"No I want to hear more about this break up and pre-nup." Howard said.

"Yes after you told me Bernadette asked you not to share it with anyone." Amy shouted back.

"And I told you in confidence." Penny screamed back.

"Does it really matter who told who?" Bernadette asked. "What matters is that Howard never found out. And he asked me to marry me right around that same time."

Howard looked at the other guys. "Did you all know she wanted to dump me?" He asked. They all looked away.

"Well it was just a rumor." Raj said. "We didn't know if it was true or not."

"Thanks guys. Now I know what kind of friends I really have. And what about this pre-nup? Did you guys know about that too?"  
"No, honestly this is the first we are hearing about it." Raj answered.

"What are you going to do?" Leonard asked.  
"I have to talk to her. Listen I think we should get out there and find out what is going on." Howard said. "They sound like they have calmed down."

"I agree. Let's go." Sheldon said. He went to the door and as he was opening so was Bernadette.  
"Let's go." She yelled at Howard.

"Is everything okay?" Howard asked her.

"I'm just angry right now. I have to get away from here. Can we talk somewhere?" She asked.

"Yeah let's go. We will drop Raj off and then we can go back to your apartment."

"Okay. I'm sorry I got so upset earlier." She said.

"Me too, but let's just wait until we get home." He said.

The three left. Amy came in right after. She looked furious.

"I think I will go over and see if Penny is okay." Leonard said.

"She is fine. She has her bottle of wine to help her out." Amy said.

"Amy!" Sheldon yelled at her.

"What?" She asked.

"That was a bit rude."

"Yeah well I am mad right now." Amy said.

"Still that is no way to talk about your best friend."

"You're right. And I am not really angry at Penny. I should apologize to her. Bernadette just pissed me off."

"What did she do?"

"She implied that we schedule sex and that she was surprised how easy you were with me working with you. She thought I tricked you into agreeing by applying before I told you."

"I thought you did." He said.

"No I inquired about the job and said I may be interested."

"But you told me it was a surprise."

"Yes that I was told about it and that Dr. Hernandez agreed and got me the interview. If you hadn't thought it was a good idea, I would have gone in the next day and withdrew my name. I swear."

"Amy, I am not worried about that. I want you to work with me. I love this arrangement and I don't want to change it. Don't worry about what Bernadette says. Who cares if she thinks we schedule sex. You know we don't and we are just as spontaneous as the next couple. She's just jealous that we have a superior relationship over hers and Howards. And they are getting married."

"I suppose you are right."

"You know I am. Now why don't we go to bed and let this night behind. Don't look back. You can talk to Penny and Bernadette tomorrow when this all blows over. She left with Howard so I am sure they are making up as we speak."

"Right again." She said.

"It's what I do." He laughed.

They got ready for bed and climbed into bed together. Sheldon pulled her in close and gave her a long lingering kiss.

"I love you." He said holding her close.

"I love you too." She said.

**Reviews will help me get the next chapter out quicker.**

**Thanks in advance. **


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Okay here it is long overdue I know. I have been extremely busy recently and just did not have time to write. Plus I am in a bit of a Shamy funk right now. The show seems to be keeping them apart at least through the first four episodes and I am finding it hard to write them happy right now. I will try harder I promise. So on with the story...**

**This chapter unfortunately could not be read by my awesome Beta Boys3allC as she is having some personal issues. Please keep her in your thoughts as she goes through them. So if you think this sucks, especially the sexy times, it is all me this time. **

**As always I don't own these characters. I just like to take them out to play.**

Amy woke up the next morning feeling a bit guilty. The only fights she ever had were with her mother. And she fought with her mother over the most insignificant things like clothes and make-up. Not once about her sex life, which up until recently was nonexistent. The most recent thing she fought over was her dating life but since meeting Sheldon she hadn't had to revisit that nightmare. Now she had the friends she always wanted and a wonderful boyfriend with whom she could see a future. And she was fighting with them, well not Sheldon, but Penny and Bernadette. And they were fighting over their boyfriends. She really wanted to go back to her thirteen year old self and tell her it did get better.

Her mother always told her when she met the right man she would know instantly. Amy had always argued that there was no such thing as the right man. She insisted that she was wasting her time year after year going out on pointless dates. There were so many more important things that needed to be done. She would never admit it to her mother but she had been right. The moment she met Sheldon she knew she had met someone special.

Amy knew she had been mean to Penny about being a blabber mouth and the comment she made about her wine was uncalled for. That was why she felt so guilty. Bernadette had been the one to start the fight by saying she had tricked Sheldon into wanting to work with her by applying for the job first. She knew in her heart that if Sheldon had not been excited at the prospect, she would have immediately withdrawn her name. Bernadette had been wrong. And then for to imply they scheduled sex, that was absurd! Granted they had only been intimate for about a month but it was always spontaneous, especially the first time. She was still very angry with Bernadette and she thought that she should be the one to apologize. It wasn't Amy's fault that Howard would not want to work with her. She wasn't to blame for the fight they had the previous evening. Amy knew Sheldon had told Bernadette what Howard said. Bernadette overreacted. Amy was sure she and Howard had made up by now. Amy knew that she would never stay mad at Bernadette for very long. She would probably be the first to call and apologize.

Amy looked at the clock next to the bed and realized it was only 5:45. She knew she wasn't going to get back to sleep and she also knew Sheldon would be waking up soon to watch Doctor Who. She decided to surprise him and make him breakfast. She quietly got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. Sheldon normally ate cereal on Saturday mornings but lately he had waited until she woke up to eat. He would cook for her. He usually made eggs, potatoes and bacon. Amy opened the refrigerator and found the ingredients to make the food. She had just started the bacon when Sheldon wandered out into the living room. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Good morning. You are up early today." He said in greeting.

"I couldn't sleep." She answered. "I feel guilty for the way I treated Penny last night. I need to apologize."

"Well don't go over until after 11:00 or she will hit you in the throat." He warned her.

"I know better." She said. "I will wait. Why don't you go sit down and watch your show. I am making breakfast."

"It doesn't start for another fifteen minutes. I can help." He said.

"I got this. Don't worry." She said.

"If you are sure." He gave her a kiss and went and sat down.

Fifteen minutes later, the two were sitting in front of the television watching Doctor Who.

"You know, this show isn't half bad. That guy who plays the doctor is kind of cute." Amy said to Sheldon.

"Amy! I don't want to hear that."

"I have one thing to say about that." She told him.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" He asked curiously.

"Julie Newmar." She said point blankly.

"Whaaaat?" He said innocently.

"Your mother told me." She laughed. "Did you think you could hide it from her? She found all the magazines that had pictures of her after you left for California. She thought they were George's but he had no idea who that woman was. She then realized they belonged to you. Oh and don't worry, she said she found others but knew they couldn't possibly belong to you. George got the blame for those." She laughed again. Sheldon blanched.

"She found those? I could have sworn I brought them all here." He muttered to himself.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing." He said. She just laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Just that you get all jealous because I think David Tennant is cute but you had a huge crush on Catwoman as a child."

"I was not jealous." He said. "And I did not have a crush. I just found her very attractive."

"And you kept pictures of her in your sock drawer." She laughed. "I guarantee there aren't pictures of David Tennant in mine."

"Well who were your pictures of then?" He asked curiously.

"Um, I am not sure you want to know." She said, desperate to change the subject.

"Amy, come on. I promise I won't get jealous." He said to her. He was really curious as to who it could possibly be.

"Why is this so important to you?" She asked. She knew he would not like the answer.

"Well it's not. It is just you know about my childhood crush, why can't I know yours?"

"I guess you are right. Now you have to promise not to get angry."

"Why would I get angry? I already told you, I won't get jealous."

"I'm not worried about you getting jealous." She said. "I believe you when you tell me that. It's just that when I was about fifteen my mom rented this movie by Stephen King. I absolutely loved it. I watched it so many times I began to memorize it. Then I found out that the main character was also in a reboot of Star Trek."

Sheldon began to understand where Amy was going with this one. He wasn't sure he needed to hear the guy's name but she continued to talk. "So I decided I would give the show a try. It wasn't really my favorite but I watched it to see him. You know he kind of reminded me of you. He was a boy genius, had an eidetic memory and…" But she was cut off by Sheldon.

"Yes, yes Wesley Crusher was perfect." He said sarcastically.

"Now Sheldon you told me you wouldn't get angry." She began.

"I'm not angry. I just can't believe you had a crush on my mortal enemy." He told her.

"Mortal enemy? Penny said you didn't like the guy and I know you're a bit of a left-handed monkey wrench, but, you really have a mortal enemy?"

"I have 61."

"61, wow a lot of people pissed you off I suppose. So how did Wil Wheaton end up on the list?"

"As a child, I loved Wesley Crusher, not like you, but still." Amy rolled her eyes. "So, I drove for hours by bus to a Star Trek convention at which Wil Wheaton was scheduled to appear, so that I could get my Wesley Crusher action figure signed. But he never showed, because apparently, it was cooler for him to be the lower-left corner on Hollywood Squares. Then he lied to me while at a card tournament and told me his grandmother died that weekend. Finally, he broke up Penny and Leonard just to win a bowling match. I hate that guy. But if you had a crush on him, I can handle it."

"Had being the operative word there Sheldon. I thought he was cute. I liked his character in Star Trek. Something, I might point out, we both have in common. It sounds to me as if you are holding a big grudge over something that happened a long time ago."

"Him breaking up Penny and Leonard only happened a couple of years ago. Same with the card tournament. They actually both happened the same year. He is just evil."

"Okay I get it but my crush was a long time ago, just like yours. And all I said was that I thought the Doctor was cute."

"Well I think you are cute." He said to her.

"You do?" She asked.

"Well I think you are more than cute. I think you are beautiful." He said to her. He leaned over and kissed her.

"Yeah, well you are pretty cute yourself. Way cuter than Wesley Crusher." She said.

They kissed again, Doctor Who long forgotten. Sheldon kissed her neck and continued down her body, slowly opening her nightgown. Amy responded quickly unbuttoning his pajama top.

"Sheldon what about Leonard?" She said in between kisses.

"He's not here." He answered.

"I know that but what if he walks in on us." She said.

"He won't be up for several hours since he is at Penny's. They were probably up half the night having sex too. So anyway…." He said again, leaning into her to kiss her again. Amy didn't argue again. She just kissed him back.

"I want to try something" She said to him as he was taking off her nightgown.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" He asked.

She reached into his pajamas and stroked him. She then began to remove his pants and underwear with help from him. She continued to stroke him then stood up from the couch and removed the rest of her clothes. She went over to him and straddled his lap and sunk into him. He let out a groan.

She began moving up and down on him while he began an assault on her breasts. He had never felt something so good in his life. They came hard together.

"Wow." He said to her after his breathing subsided.

"Wow, indeed." She said.

They were cuddling on the couch a little while later when Sheldon decided to bring up the subject of their vacation.

"So Amy what did you have in mind when you told President Seibert we could take a vacation together?" He asked her.

"Well I am taking my last vacation from UCLA before joining the staff at Caltech the week after I finish my study. I figure we could spend the week together. Is there some place you would want to go? My aunt's birthday party is that Saturday. We could leave the Saturday before and do something then head to Santa Barbara for the party. Or we could spend the week there."

"A whole week with your family? As much as I do want to meet them, I am not prepared to spend the entire week with them."

"I wouldn't expect you to do that. There are plenty of things we could do in Santa Barbara but we don't have to go there. We could stay at home for the week and leave Friday evening or Saturday morning."

"I want you all to myself that week." He said, winking at her.

"Hoo." She replied.

"So Santa Barbara for the week?" Sheldon asked. "I have always wanted to go to the zoo there."

"Well then it is settled we can go there and then at the end of the week go to Aunt Flora's party. Let me warn you, my mom is planning on inviting all my relatives."

"Why?" Sheldon asked.

"Well because I have never had a boyfriend before and she wants to show you off. My cousin Michelle used to ask me all the time if I was a lesbian. My mom had to pay another one of my cousins to take me to prom but he ended up spending the money on drugs. At least I got to go when I joined the clean-up crew."

"So you want to show me off too, don't you?" He asked.

"Oh most definitely. I want to show Michelle that you can be a nerd and have a handsome boyfriend as well. And well Nick, he probably won't even show he is so messed up. I want to show my family you can have it all."

"Of course you can. I will be happy to be on your arm at this party. It should be fun."

"I think you're really going to enjoy yourself. Not only do you get to meet my relatives, but since my aunt's nursing home is catering the party, all of the food is incredibly soft. It's like a vacation for your teeth."

"Sounds great. Now I have something to ask. Since we are going on a trip together, what do you think about San Francisco?"

"I love San Francisco but I don't think we will have time for both."

"I wasn't thinking about it for then. How about for our anniversary in May?"

"Sheldon I don't think we will be able to get another week off just a month after we just took one."

"No, no I think you misunderstand. I mean how about we take a long weekend. Memorial Day is that Monday and if we leave Friday at lunch we should be there by dinner time in the evening. Our anniversary is that Sunday. We could do Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, and ride the cable cars. We will have so much fun."

"It sounds wonderful."

"So I was thinking that we could maybe fly up since we would be leaving on Friday but could we maybe come back on the train. I know it is a bit longer but I want to take you on the Coast Starlight, one of the great American trains operating on one of the classic American routes."

"How long will it take?"

"About 9 hours."

"9 hours seems like a long time to spend on a train. But if it makes you happy then absolutely we can do it."

"Really?" He asked. "When we went to San Francisco to see George Smoot the guys all bitched and moaned the entire time we were on it. Even after we met Summer Glau."

"That girl from Firefly?" Amy asked.

"How do you know that?" Sheldon had not introduced Amy to Firefly yet.

"Well I love the show Castle and I looked up Nathan Fillion to see what else he had been in and I watched it all in one day on Netflix." Amy said. "It was a really good show. I can't believe it was only on one season."

"I can't believe you watched it. I loved Firefly."

"It doesn't surprise me. You watch all those science fiction shows. So you guys actually met her on the train."

"Well the others did. Actually I should say, they tried to hit on her."

"That figures. Any of them have any luck."

"What do you think?" Sheldon laughed.

"True." She laughed with him.

The couple spent the rest of the morning planning their vacation. When Penny and Leonard came over, Amy was immediately apologetic.

"Bestie, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to call you a blabber mouth. I also shouldn't have implied that you had your wine to make you feel better. I feel so guilty."

"Oh Amy don't worry about it. I did tell you Bernadette's secret when I should not have. I mean I wish you hadn't told Sheldon but it is over and now things are fine with Howard and Bernadette. I mean they are getting married in a month. I hope they are okay after all that was said." Penny said to her.

"They left together." Sheldon commented.

"Oh well that is good." Penny said. "I still can't believe he said he wouldn't want to work with her. I mean I agree but I would never say it to her face."

"Why wouldn't you want to work with her?" Amy asked.

"She's kind of scary. I mean you saw her last night."

"Actually I didn't. Remember I was talking to Sheldon. What happened?"

"Oh she was pissed." Leonard started. "She was screaming and yelling about how she was an elf and should be in a tree baking cookies because she was so sweet. She couldn't understand Howard's problem and kept asking if it was her voice. Which believe me gets 3 octaves higher when she is angry. I don't know, I think anyone who has to work with her has their work cut out for them. I am glad I don't work with her."

"Me too." Penny said. "I think it would be a nightmare."

"Well enough about them." Sheldon started. "I am sure everything is just great with Howard and Bernadette. What are the plans for the day?"

"I have to work." Penny stated.

"You do?" Leonard asked. "I was kind of hoping we could spend the day together."

"Sorry sweetie. But I get done at 7:00. Maybe we can have a late dinner and then go to a movie."

"That sounds great. I will see you later then." Leonard said. He gave her a kiss goodbye and Penny left.

"Things seem to be going well with the two of you." Amy commented after she left.

"Yeah, it's great." Leonard said dreamily.

"Oh God, you two slept together again, didn't you?" Sheldon asked.

"Sheldon!" Amy yelled at him.

"What? I didn't say anything wrong. Leonard is in an awfully good mood. He usually gets that way after sexual intercourse. Naturally I just assumed."

"But it's not very nice to point it out." Amy said to him.

"Actually Amy it's okay. I am in such a good mood I don't care about his rude behavior. And before you say anything, no actually we didn't have sex, we just spent the night cuddling after she told me she loved me."

"She told you? Oh that is wonderful." Amy said. "I knew she was thinking about how she really felt. She told me how guilty she felt after you had said it all those years ago and it caused you to break up. She was so afraid."

"Well that sounds familiar." Sheldon said to her.

"What does that mean?" Amy asked him.

"I think I am going to go get a shower." Leonard said to them. He didn't want any part of this conversation.

"Thank you Leonard." Amy said. She turned to Sheldon. "Now what do you mean?"

"Um,…" Sheldon knew he was in trouble but wasn't sure exactly what he had said wrong. Amy had told him she had been afraid of her feelings. "You told me the same thing. You said you were afraid to tell me how you felt."

"I did but that doesn't mean you should advertise it to everyone."

"But I don't understand. You told Penny, Bernadette and Hannah that you loved me before you told me. Why is it any different for me to tell Leonard that you had the same fears as Penny about saying it? I was trying to let him know I understood how he felt."

"I guess you are right. I'm sorry. I don't know why I have been so moody recently." She said to him. "It's like everything that is said to me has been bothering me. Between yesterday when you said I would be your last girlfriend to Bernadette saying we schedule our sex life. Stuff like that would not normally bother me."

"Don't worry about it. I get that way sometimes. Things can just rub you the wrong way at times." Sheldon said to her. He was a bit concerned about her mood. She was usually always pleasant unless it was her time of the month. And she wasn't scheduled to have that for another week.

"Thank you. I don't know what is going on with me recently."

"Um, Amy…have you been taking your pills every day?" He asked her.

"Of course, why would you ask that?" She answered. Amy had told Sheldon that she went on birth control about a month before they started sleeping together. Sheldon still insisted on condoms the first few times but now after this morning had twice not used one. The other time was in the shower.

"I was just making sure that the extra moods aren't for another reason." He answered carefully.

"I am not pregnant it that is what you are worried about. I got my period on time last month and am not due for another week now. The pills could be the cause of my moodiness though." She commented.

"It could also just be the stress of maybe getting a new job and the possibility of moving. Plus introducing me to your family has to have you a bit worried."

"I already told you I am looking forward to that." She said to him.

"Yes but still it can be stressful. Why don't we just have a quiet day in today then maybe we can invite Bernadette and Howard out for dinner. You two girls can talk."

"I love that idea. Can we watch more Doctor Who?" She asked.

"Absolutely." He said.

Sheldon and Amy spent the afternoon watching Doctor Who. Bernadette and Howard agreed to meet them for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. The girls worked out their problems while the guys talked about astronaut training. It was an extremely pleasant evening.

**Okay so what will happen now when the guys want to play a certain Star Wars game with lasers? I can't promise to be fast on the next chapter but I will try my best.**

**Reviews do help me write faster. **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Okay first and foremost I would like to thank you all for your patience with me and this story. Between work and family, I have been quite busy. I promise you I will finish this story. It won't be many more chapters. Your support is always appreciated. **

**Edited: My friend, Boys3allC added a great smutty part that did not come through via email so I am adding it now. So sorry if you read this and missed it. **

**Now I have a few things I would like to say to everyone on this site that is a fan of Shamy. I apologize in advance to anyone this may not apply to. So recently I wrote a story called 100 Ways to Kill a Doctor: Nightmare on Los Robles Avenue. I found this prompt by Shenny shippers. Now I know many of you do not like that ship and you have the right to disagree with those stories and not read them. Now the prompt was meant for Halloween and while I normally find character bashing horrible for some reason this prompt intrigued me. I read many of them and was blown away by the talent these writers had. My muse then came to me to write the little tale that I told. Mine fit the rules perfectly but had a twist ending that really no one saw coming. I have to admit that when I wrote it I was worried what they may think of it. I must say they were blown away and really impressed that a Shamy shipper took on the prompt. And I realized the reason why...they get horrid reviews telling them they are sick and delusional and I even read a few that told them to go and kill themselves. Now I knew by writing my story I was setting myself up and of course you don't want to tell people in the summary about your ending. Mine simply stated "What if the kiss between Sheldon and Penny wasn't a nightmare for Leonard." **

**In my authors notes I explained that if the negative reviewers read to the end they would be surprised. I must say many of you left me wonderful reviews and for that I was truly grateful...it meant you took the time to actually read it. And Shenny shippers were beyond nice in their reviews. **

**But then I got a review that said the following: (From a Guest): ****Aren't you quite the attention whore? So reviews from your actual fandom isn't enough, you even lick the asses of the Shennies now and even tag your hate for Leonard and Amy. Just because the show isn't going perfectly for Sheldon is no reason to take it out on Leonard and Amy. How disappointing.**

**I am not an attention seeking person...I love my readers and reviewers but I must say having 31 reviews for a one shot felt great...I won't lie. **

**What gets me about this review, besides the fact that the person was a coward and couldn't leave a name, was it was clear that they didn't read my story. And I feel that this is what happens with Shenny stories. They get hate reviews without anyone ever reading the actual story. It makes me feel terrible for them. I love to read a great story and if that story happens to not pair my OTP then so be it...I will tell the writer that I enjoyed their story. I even let them know that I am a Shamy and that we all aren't bad. I will not apologize for liking a story or even writing a story. Now just recently these shippers have come up with another prompt about Shenny at the movies...I suggest to all the reviewers out there if you are not a fan of the ship don't read the story! Please remember the people that write these stories have real feelings. We are writing about fictional characters on TV show. I will never think they can be romantically paired in the show and the writers have said as much. So this is my advice to you: DON'T READ SOMETHING YOU DON'T LIKE! Nobody is forcing you to do it. I love SHAMY and will only ever ship them.**

**BTW: to the review that already left a lovely review for this rant...the twist had nothing to do with the dream! That was already part of the show. **

**If you don't like what I have to say here, I understand. If you are not one of these people I apologize for my rant but after receiving that review it had to be said. If you choose to stop following me, again understood. But I won't apologize for reading or writing anything anymore. **

**Thank you once again for being a loyal reader and again sorry for this rant.**

**Enjoy When Sheldon met Amy: **

**I don't own these characters...I like to take them out to play.**

The weeks leading to their vacation went by quickly. Before Amy knew it she was beginning her last week at UCLA.

"I can't believe we start at Caltech in two weeks!" Hannah said to her. She was really looking forward to seeing Raj at work. They had been seeing each other for the better part of a month and things seemed to be working out well.

"I know. What are you plans next week?" Amy asked her.

"I am going to Vegas with my roommate this weekend. We planned it weeks ago. It works out because Raj and the guys are planning some gaming marathon."

"Gaming marathon? I knew nothing about that." Amy said. "Sheldon and I are leaving for Santa Barbara Saturday morning."

"Raj said he was going to ask the guys today. He asked me my plans and I told him about Vegas and he thought it was the perfect opportunity to try out the new game."

"Oh that makes sense now. Sheldon knows nothing about it either."

"Do you think he will be upset he can't participate?" Hannah asked her.

"I don't know. If he really wants to do it, we could leave Monday morning instead."

"Seriously? You would let him play a video game instead of going away?"

"Well we are going away from Saturday to the following Sunday. I don't see it making that big of a difference if we leave on Monday. That way he could have fun and then we can have fun. A win win in my book." Amy said.

"I bet he will love you even more when you tell him he can play."

"That is not what I am going for. He has his hobbies and I don't want to be that girlfriend who wants their boyfriend to change."

"I agree. I feel the same way about Raj. Part of what I like about him are his hobbies. Raj...he isn't like the other guys I have dated. He treats me like a lady. He holds the door, pulls my seat out and generally treats me right." Hannah informed Amy dreamily. Amy smiled at her, glad her perky assistant found love.

"See I knew he was perfect for you." Amy said.

"Yes, thank you for helping make this possible." Hannah said to her, still beaming.

"Well you are very welcome. Now let's finish up the work we have for the day. I am picking up Sheldon to go shopping then they we are going out for dinner." Amy said to her. She left work at 3:00 and headed over to Caltech. On her way in she ran into Leslie Winkle again.

"So I hear they hired you in the biology department." Leslie said to her.

"How did you hear that?" Amy asked.

"Things get talked about, especially things like Sheldon Cooper having an actual girlfriend."

"I don't think I understand why this is such a big deal. Sheldon has dated before. He may have dated you if you hadn't left him high and dry the day after your little sexcapade."

"Yeah well…" Leslie started but stopped. She had nothing to say. Amy was right. Sheldon would probably have dated her if she had given him a chance.

"What's the matter? Are you jealous?"

"What would I have to be jealous about?" Leslie asked her incredulously.

"Because I have a satisfying relationship with a man you could have had and you have Barry." Amy said, smirking.

"Who has Barry?" The unmistakable voice of Barry Kripke said coming around the corner.

"This day just keeps getting better." Amy said sarcastically.

"Well hello there, Dr. Fowler." Barry said. "Coming to see Cooper?"

"Why else would I be here?" Amy asked.

"Well you do work here now." Barry commented.

"Not for another two weeks Barry. Sorry to disappoint you. As much as I would love to stay here and chat with you two, I have better things to do." Amy said and walked away from the duo before they could say anything else to her. She made it to Sheldon's office just as he was coming out to look for her.

"Hey there." He greeted, giving her a kiss. "I was beginning to think you forgot me."

"How could I forget you? I just got held up by Leslie and Barry again." She said.

"A burden we all must bear sometimes. What was it this time?"

"Apparently the rumor that you have a real live girlfriend is running rampant. Did no one know about Ramona?"

"We dated for so little time and when we did spend time together here it was always strictly professional. After all, she technically was a graduate student and I was an employee. We tried to keep it professional on school grounds. There was no rule about dating graduate students but I wasn't taking any chances."

"I guess that makes sense so it didn't get around that you were dating?"

"Not really, the only ones that knew were the guys, Penny and Leslie. And she only knew because she saw us together at breakfast and I made the mistake of holding Ramona's hand."

"Oh." Amy said.

"Can we not talk about my ex-girlfriends? I don't understand why you are so insecure. I am with you. I love you. I want to live with you. I never wanted any of that with those other girls."

"Okay conversation over. I promise I won't bring them up again. It's just every time I see Leslie, I think what you did with her. And she constantly feels the need to bring it up."

"Again I know. It is a cross unfortunately we both must bear now. But don't worry about her. She is just jealous."

"I know I told her the same thing. I said she was jealous that I had a satisfactory relationship with a man and she had Barry."

"A burden she chose." He laughed.

"I know." Amy laughed along with him. "So shall we get going?" She asked.

"Absolutely." Sheldon said.

The two left Caltech and completed the errands they had needed to do for their trip. They had a nice dinner out and then went back to Sheldon's apartment for tea. They were discussing the trip and planning their week. Sheldon hadn't mentioned the gaming weekend so she thought she would let it go. She thought maybe the guys already knew he was going away and decided not to ask. Just as that thought crossed her mind, the guys walked into the apartment.

"Hey, Sheldon, clear your weekend. Starting Saturday morning, Star Wars marathon." Leonard said walking in.

Raj let out a whoop.

"Movies or video games? Or board game? Or trading card games? Or Lego's? Or dress up? Or comic books? Or dramatic readings of novelizations? Yes to all!" Sheldon exclaimed.

"We are going to play the online game." Leonard said.

"The online game? Bully!" Sheldon said then he remembered the plans he had just been discussing. "Oh wait, are you talking about this weekend?"

"Of course this weekend. That is what this Saturday meant." Leonard said to him.

"I can't this weekend. Amy and I are leaving for Santa Barbara Saturday morning." He said.

Howard pulled out his phone and hit an app. They all heard the unmistakable sound of a whip. Amy glared at Howard.

"Oh I am sorry. I guess if I make a commitment to someone, I am whipped. I wonder how your fiancée would feel about that app Howard. Amy and I have had these plans to go to Santa Barbara for a few weeks and I won't back out to play some video game, even if it sounds awesome."

"I'm sorry I forgot you were going on vacation." Leonard said seriously. It wasn't often Sheldon took them. "We will miss you."

"Actually…" Amy started. "I think you should play."

"Wait, what about our trip?" Sheldon asked her. He was confused. They were going to meet her family and now she was cancelling.

"We can leave on Monday. We have the whole week. I didn't want to say anything but Hannah told me about this gaming weekend this morning. I thought maybe the guys hadn't asked because of our trip."

"Are you sure?" Sheldon asked.

"Absolutely. I've told you before, I don't want to stand in the way of your hobbies and interests. You have fun with your friends." Amy said.

"You are amazing." Sheldon said.

"I know." She said to him.

"Okay guys I am in." Sheldon said.

"Unbelievable." Howard whispered to Raj.

"What's unbelievable?" Sheldon asked.

"Damn his Vulcan hearing! Nothing Sheldon, nothing at all." Howard said. "Sorry to imply you were whipped. You have an amazing girlfriend."

"I know I do." Sheldon smiled at her.

Amy made plans with Penny to go to a spa on Saturday. They were going to leave at 11:00 as Penny didn't get up much before then especially on weekends she didn't have to work. Howard told them that Bernadette would most likely have to work as her company had to figure out what went wrong with the latest drug they had developed. It was supposed to cure dandruff but ended up having a nasty side effect of anal leakage. They needed to get it out of the hands of their sales reps and figure out what to do next. Bernadette figured it was going to be a long week. Howard hadn't bothered to tell her about the gaming weekend since she was going to be busy with work. It turned out however that she became free when she came up with the idea to brand the drug to cure constipation. So the night before the big game she was over with Howard and he invited her along because he just didn't know how to say no. And after the fiasco with working together he didn't want to have any other fights.

When Howard showed up the day of the game, he knew he was going to get a bunch of crap from the guys. He told Bernadette to park the car while he went inside to inform the guys that she would be joining them.

"Hey, guys, I got a surprise." Howard said upon entering the apartment.

"Uh, if it's yogurt that helps ladies poop, I think Raj beat you to it." Leonard commented looking again at the table full of healthy snacks Raj brought.

"No. Bernadette's going to be playing with us. So, that's pretty cool, huh? Right? Sure it is, yeah." Howard answered. He hoped this was going to go over well but when he looked at the shock looks on his friends faces he knew he was very wrong.

"What, you invited your girlfriend? This is supposed to be our weekend. I thought Bernadette had to work." Raj said. "Even Amy let Sheldon play."

"Yeah it turned out she figured out the issue with the drug faster than expected. It was a drug supposed to cure dandruff but ended up with a nasty side effect of horrible anal leakage."

"Is there a good anal leakage?" Raj asked.

"Anyway, it was Bernie's idea to rebrand the stuff as a cure for constipation."

"Way to make lemonade. You know, from around the corner where fudge is made." Raj commented.

"That still doesn't explain why she is here. Why didn't you let her know that the girls were planning a spa day? You know Amy is still here. They aren't leaving until 11:00. They will be happy to have her come along. Amy said it was a shame she was working." Sheldon asked.

"Well she wanted to celebrate. The company is sending us to Vegas in a few weeks but last night, she said, why don't we go out for brunch tomorrow and then maybe the Arboretum. And I said, well, no, I promised the guys I was going to play a video game with them all weekend. And she said, that sounds like fun, can I come, too? And then I didn't answer for a second, and then she said, well, do you not want me to come? After the fight we had a few weeks ago when I told her I wouldn't want to work with her I had to give an answer so I bought her a new laptop and the game, and she's parking the car right now."

The guys heard the unmistakable sound of the whip app from Sheldon. Raj and Leonard laughed. Howard deserved it.

"Was that really necessary?" Howard asked.

"It absolutely was necessary." Raj laughed some more. "You deserved it. After all you did the same thing to Sheldon the other day when he was going to go away with Amy over playing with us."

"That is not the same thing." Howard protested.

"What's not the same thing?" Bernadette had just entered the apartment.

"Oh nothing." Howard hammered.

"Where's Penny?" Bernadette asked.

"She is still sleeping, I suppose." Leonard said, looking at his watch. "But she should be up soon."

"Sheldon, what are you doing here? I thought you and Amy were going away to Santa Barbara. You didn't back out on her did you?" Bernadette was really surprised to see him.

"Oh we are leaving Monday." Amy said coming out of his room dressed for the day. "And what are you doing here? Howard said you were working."

"Oh we found a new use for the drug. I thought Penny and I could hang out while the guys played this silly game. I had no idea you would be here. What happened to Santa Barbara?"

"Oh well when Hannah told me on Monday that she was going away and that Raj thought it would be a great time for the guys to try out this new game I decided that since Sheldon was on vacation he could have some fun with his friends before going away with me. Penny and I are going to the spa for the day."

"Wait this game weekend has been planned since Monday?" Bernadette was getting angry. Howard did not once mention this to her.

"Well yeah, didn't you know? Howard told us that you couldn't join us at the spa because you would be working." Amy answered her.

"No Howard never mentioned it to me." Bernadette answered, glaring at him. Now she understood why he had no problems allowing her to come along to play. "I was under the impression that this was a last minute thing since I had to work and then since I didn't he felt bad and told me to come thinking Penny might be bored playing with you guys."

"Now I never said that. You thought the game sounded like fun and asked to come along." Howard protested.

"Yes well I like games and I figured if Penny was going to be here maybe I could play a little bit and then goof off with her. But no the girls are going off to the spa and I am going to be stuck here playing games with you guys."

"I think we could still get you in with us." Amy suggested.

"That sounds great." Bernadette said.

As Amy was calling the spa to see if they could fit Bernadette in at the last minute, Penny came in ready to go.

"Oh hey Bernadette, I thought you were working this weekend."

"I was supposed to but we found a way around our mistake quicker than expected. I'm here because I thought we would all be playing this silly game. Or at least I thought you were going to be around."

"Oh I won't play online games anyway. I tend to get addicted to them."

"I can attest to that." Sheldon said. "She came in my room."

"What?" Amy said, covering the phone with her hand. Sheldon had told her that Penny was not his type.

"It wasn't like that." Penny said, aware Amy was worried. "I woke him up in the middle of the night to help me with my quest on Age of Conan. Some Hungarians were using me to go on a quest."

"Hungarians?" Bernadette asked.

"Long story. But anyway no video games for me." Penny said. "So are you coming with us?" She asked Bernadette.

"Amy is checking if they can fit me in." Bernadette answered.

"They can." Amy said getting off the phone.

"Great. I would love to join you guys."

"Terrific." Penny said.

"So how late are you guys planning on playing until?" Bernadette asked.

"Well it's supposed to be an all-night marathon." Raj answered.

"So girls, after should we go out dancing?" Penny asked.

"Yes." They both said at once.

"Okay boys we will see you tomorrow." Penny said to them. She walked over and gave Leonard a kiss. Amy did the same with Sheldon. Bernadette just left. She was angry Howard had once again done something stupid. She would forgive him but she wanted to make him sweat a little first.

After they left, the guys set the game up. They decided to play for the Sith Empire because they were always the good guys. They had a really good time over the weekend but it was marred by Howard's mother showing up because he turned his phone off.

The girls had a great time at the spa and then dancing that night. Amy was shocked when they were bought a round of drinks from some guys.

"I can't believe those guys bought us drinks and I don't have to give up the goodies." Amy said when they got back to Penny's apartment. They decided to stay the night at her place.

"Well we know that you wouldn't give up anything except to Sheldon." Bernadette giggled.

"So true." Amy laughed. She had a few too many cosmos at the bar.

"So are you worried about what your family think of Sheldon?" Penny asked.

"My mom has met him." Amy said.

"Well yeah but through Skype." Bernadette said. "It's not the same thing."

"True but she really likes him. As far as the rest of my family, I don't care. They have always treated me poorly and never believed I would ever find anyone so just showing up with Sheldon will prove them wrong."

"Will they believe that he is your boyfriend?" Penny asked.

"Who cares?" Amy said. "I sure as hell don't. I have lied in the past but was never able to produce an actual man. At least this time he will be there."

"Good for you." Bernadette said.

"Thanks." Amy said. "So are you still mad at Howard?"

"No. I just don't always understand why he can't be truthful with me. First he lied to me about why he wouldn't want to work with me. The week he was away at space training, he kept calling me and telling me how much he missed me. I finally went to see him and his mother was there. Can you believe that?"

"Actually yes I can." Penny said. "He has a very strange bond with his mother."

"Tell me about it." Bernadette complained. "He actually thought we were going to live with her after we got married. He never even talked to me about it. He just told me when we move in there we can share a closet. I was incensed."

"I believe it. She probably won't believe he is leaving until he actually does." Penny laughed. "You will have to compete with that. Oh and wait until you have kids."

"I don't think I want kids." Bernadette said to them.

"Does Howard know this?" Amy asked.

"We never discussed it." She answered.

"Oh, I think that should be something you discuss." Amy said.

"Have you and Sheldon discussed kids?" Bernadette asked her.

"Actually we have talked about a lot of things for our future including children."

"Really?" Penny asked surprised. "Sheldon wants kids? I can't picture that."

"Well we don't want them now." Amy said. "But someday maybe. I mean if we get married that is."

"Have you discussed that?" Bernadette asked.

"Not really. I mean we have talked about the possibility but he hasn't asked or anything if that is what you want to know."

"Would you say yes if he did?" Penny asked.

"Absolutely." Amy said. "If he asks, that is."

The girls screamed.

"Shhh….what if they hear?" Amy shushed them.

"Oh they are not even paying attention to anything but their game." Penny laughed. "So have you decided if you are moving in with him yet?"

"Actually I have. I am going to tell him this week. I informed my landlord that I am not renewing my lease in June. I will be moving in with him then."

"That is so great. He will be so happy." Penny said.

"I am so happy." Amy said. "I only worry about Leonard."

"Oh Leonard will be fine with you living there."

"I know he has said as much. It will be a little weird though."

"I bet he won't be there for very long." Bernadette suggested. "Or maybe you and Sheldon will move out."

"I don't see Sheldon leaving the apartment." Penny said.

"Are you sure? What if they get married? They aren't going to raise kids in an apartment." Bernadette said.

"What do you know?" Penny asked.

"Nothing." Bernadette said. She gave Penny a look.

"Why do I have a feeling you guys are hiding something from me?" Amy asked.

"I know nothing." Penny said.

"Me neither." Bernadette said.

Amy looked at both of them skeptically but she had no choice but to believe them. She could never tell if they were lying to her.

On Sunday afternoon, Amy went back over to Sheldon's. Bernadette had gone home after hearing Mrs. Wolowitz's voice in the hallway. She figured she should probably bail Howard out of trouble.

Amy snuck back into the apartment to change her clothes and take a nap. She did not want to bother the guys who are either still playing the game or sleeping. What she saw almost made her laugh out loud. Leonard was curled up like a cat in the arm chair. Raj was laying on the floor in a sleeping bag. Bernadette had already retrieved Howard and drove him home. She smiled when she saw Sheldon slumped in his corner of the couch asleep. The headset he used for the game was still around his neck. It does not look very comfortable so she tried to remove it from his neck and he woke up. He looked at her bleary eyed like he is trying to decide whether she was real or not.

"Sorry I did not mean to wake you. You just looked uncomfortable." She told him smoothing his hair.

"I was." He said to her, cracking his neck. "Did you girls have fun last night? I heard some giggles and screams coming from across the hall. I trust you all imbibed a bit." He asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"I had a few drinks when we went out last night. Don't worry I did not drink too much. You know what too much wine does to me."

"Too much wine makes you very shall we say friendly?" He said, smirking at her.

"The only person I am "friendly" with is you. We just had fun and came home and had some girl talk. I'm a bit tired though. I think I will go and take a nap." Amy said stretching and yawning exposing just a sliver of her belly. Just a glimpse of her hidden flesh is enough to excite him and he perks up instantly.

"Oh I think I will join you. This couch isn't very comfortable." He said getting up and joining her in walking back to his room.

"So who won the game?" Amy asked him as she starts changing out of her clothes, unbuttoning her blouse and pulling it off. Sheldon and the guys had another all night gaming session. It was some Star Wars game and Amy was not sure if there were winners and losers.

"We did!" He said happily "To change it up we played as the bad guys." Sheldon was more interested in her now completely exposed skin then in talking about the game.

"Oh I do love a bad boy." She said winking at him as she pulls her skirt off.

"Oh you do, do you?" He asked. "Well I played as the baddest of them all." He winked back at her. Then he stepped close to her, distracting her from pulling on the shirt of his she was planning to nap in.

"Really now? You will have to show me just how bad you were." She purred trying to sound seductive, feeling like a vixen standing before him in just her bra and panties. _When did I become this forward? _She thought as he pulled her to him in a heated kiss. Amy kissed him back hungrily gripping his shoulders to steady herself.

"I missed you this weekend." He said between kisses, ducking his head to her neck and nibbling on her neck.

"I missed you too but it is important for you to have fun with the guys." She said.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" He asked unhooking her bra and taking her breasts into his hands gently caressing them, making circular motions and stroking her nipples with his thumbs. Amy is putty in his hands but she wants more of him. They have been away from each other all weekend and she is craving his touch.

"No but you can show me." She said pulling away from him and tugging his shirt off. Then she pulled at the waistband of his pants and he unbuttoned them for her and she pulled them off. He pounced on her and knocked her down onto the bed making her squeal.

"We have to be quiet. The guys are out in the living room." He said to her and silencing her with a kiss.

"I don't know if I can control myself." She said as he kisses his way down her body stopping at her nipples to tease them with his tongue then traveling down her stomach.

"Well you will have to learn some control." He growled pulling her panties off. "Because one peep out of you and I will stop doing this." he said, moving his head between her legs and kissing her, flicking his tongue over her sensitive nub.

"Oh I will be quiet." she said sitting up to watch him. She liked to watch him as he worked but he stops and looks at her sternly

"What was that?" he asked, sitting up and raising his eyebrow at her. Amy makes the zipper mouth motion and laid back down and he continued his ministrations. Amy has to cover her face with a pillow to keep from screaming out as he kissed and licked her. He pulled the pillow of her face and kissed her mouth. He moved his body between her legs, spreading them wider.

"Do you think you can stay quiet?" He asked and she shook her head yes. "Are you sure?" He asked as he moved inside her hard and fast. Amy shook her head no as he did it again, pushing her body against the headboard.

"Well you are going to have to try." He scolded but she flipped him around so she was the one on top. Amy bent down to whisper in his ear as she rode him slowly.

"Do you think you can take your own advice?" She asked as she sits up and rides him harder grinding her hips into him, making him moan. Amy smirked down at his involuntary reaction.

"It is so hard to keep quiet." She teased him. He grabbed her by the hips and pushed her backwards so her head his dangling off the bed. Amy squealed as he moved inside her again.

"Very hard to keep quiet." He teased her.

They came out of the room a half hour later to find Raj, Leonard and Penny sitting watching television. They have their eyes trained on the TV trying hard not to look at Sheldon's disheveled hair and Amy's pink cheeks. They had not kept it very quiet at all. Penny had heard them from her apartment.

"You guys have a nice nap?" Raj asked as he was trying to keep from giggling. Everyone knows there was no napping going on in that room. The sounds of their escapade had woken him up.

"Very refreshing." Amy said looking at Sheldon and he smiled at her.

"Yes quite rejuvenating." he said.

"Hey we were just getting ready to order lunch. Would you guys want something?" Penny asked them.

"Sure what did you guys have in mind?" Sheldon asked.

"How about Thai?" Leonard asked.

"Sure that sounds great."

After they ate, the five of them watched a movie then Raj left for the evening. Penny and Leonard decided to spend the night at her place.

"Guys have a great time in Santa Barbara." Penny said. "We will see you next Sunday."

"Thanks, see you later. Have a good week." Amy said.

Sheldon and Amy called it a night as they were leaving early the next morning. They wanted to get to the Santa Barbara Zoo early then they were meeting her mother for dinner that night. Sheldon wasn't worried about her mom as she had talked to her on more than one occasion. He knew he had nothing to fear.

**A/N: If you liked this chapter please review...if you didn't please review. **

**If you want to talk about my rant I will be glad to do it in a PM...if you leave a negative review for any other reason than you hated my story then it will be deleted. I have already deleted two for this chapter already. **

**I have no desire to cater to the whims of cowards who refuse to discuss things in an adult manner...yes I am an adult with children of my own. SO do all of yourselves a favor and stop bullying. **


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Well once again I must apologize for the long delay on this story. Between work and a bit of writer's block I must confess it was hard. I now know the direction I want to take this story. It seems my muse has spoken and now I must write what I feel. I will finish it I promise. I actually don't see many more chapters left. So we are now heading to Santa Barbara to meet Amy's family. I have decided to break up the trip into three chapters and you will be happy to know chapter 27 is just about complete. I hope to have chapter 28 complete before my vacation is over. So chapter 26 we are introduced to a character I absolutely love and yes I know I am skipping around in seasons to make this work but it is AU.**

**As always, thanks to my awesome Beta, Boys3allC, for writing the sexy times and cleaning up some of my mistakes.**

**I wish I owned these characters but sadly I don't. I take them out to have fun though. **

Amy woke up Monday morning in an empty bed. She looked at the clock on Sheldon's side of the bed and realized it was just before 7:00. Sheldon was always up at 6:30. She wondered why he hadn't woken her up. She reluctantly got out of bed and wondered into the kitchen.

"Good morning." She said sleepily to Sheldon, who had his back turned at the stove.

"Oh, I was just about to come and wake you up with this." He said, handing her the mug of tea he was making.

"Thank you." She said. "Why are you up? We don't need to leave before nine. I don't want to hit too much traffic." She stated.

"I know but you know I am up every day at 6:30. I just can't seem to sleep much past it. Why don't you go get ready while I make breakfast?" He said.

"I can help." She told him.

"No I got it. You go." He said, shooing her away.

Amy went back to the room and then headed to the bathroom. She took a quick shower and got dressed. She ducked back into the room to make sure everything was ready to go for their trip. When she came out she could smell the bacon cooking.

"It smells wonderful in here. But I thought today was oatmeal day?" She asked him perplexed.

"It is normally, but I thought, what's life without a little whimsy? So I made French toast and bacon instead. Besides, with Leonard staying at Penny's so much anymore I wanted to use up the last of the eggs and bread before we left." He told her.

"How pragmatic of you." Amy said.

"I thought so." He agreed, pleased that she understood his sound logic.

"Why don't you get ready and I will finish this up." she said.

Sheldon went back and got ready while Amy finished the last of the bacon. They ate a leisurely breakfast and then packed the car. They wouldn't need a whole lot while they were away. They were ready to go just before nine.

"So are you nervous about me meeting your family?" Sheldon asked her.

"A little but only because I am afraid of the way they will treat you." She answered.

"How do you think they will treat me?" He asked a bit nervously.

"Well since my cousin Michelle has always thought I was a lesbian, she may hit on you. She won't believe you are my boyfriend. Or she won't care. You are very handsome. She may not be able to help herself." Amy told him and Sheldon looks at her shocked. He would not describe himself as being so handsome a woman would be unable to keep her hands off.

"Well I am sure I will be able to fend off her advances." Sheldon told her, laughing. He still doesn't think that it will happen

"And if my cousin Nick is there, he will ask you how much my mother paid you to pretend to be my boyfriend."

"Why on earth would he ask me that?"

"My mom paid him to take me to the prom. But he used the money to buy drugs instead. So I did not have a date anyways."

"You were better off anyways. Proms are a ridiculous rite of passage anyway. You were better served studying" He told her.

"Oh I went. I was on clean up duty. The DJ let me dance to one slow song with my mop before he packed up and left. Whenever I see a bucket of dirty water, I still hear Lady in Red. So I take it you did not go to your prom?"

"Amy I was eleven when I was a senior in high school. I think it may have been a felony if one of the eighteen year old girls had taken me. But that didn't matter, I had no interest in going."

"I would have taken you if you went to my high school at eleven." She said tilting her head at him.

"I don't know how to process that." Sheldon said confused.

"I just meant in an universe where we went to high school at the same time. And even if you were eleven and I was sixteen I think we would have still been friends."

"I don't know I was a pompous little blowhard when I was eleven."

"How is that different from now?" Amy asked winking at him to let him know she was joking. "So are you nervous about meeting them?" She asked, changing the subject.

"I don't think so. I mean I have spoken with your mother many times. I know it isn't the same as seeing her in person."

"Well she loves you so there is no problem there."

"As for your other relatives, I am no stranger to having relatives that bullied me. Mine were my brothers and all my male cousins. I think I can handle a bit of an interrogation. Just keep in mind when we go to Texas, you will be subjected to the same thing."

"When are we going to Texas?" Amy asked curiously. She hadn't remembered them having any kind of discussion about a trip to his home state.

"Soon." He smiled at her.

"Oh okay." She was confused. They had never spoken of meeting his family. She figured it was only fair as he was willingly coming with her to this birthday party.

"What?" He asked. He could read her like a book. He knew something was bothering her.

"I guess I was just surprised that you were talking about me going and meeting your family."

"Why?" He asked.

"It's a big step."

"How is it any different than me meeting your family?"

"I have no idea. I guess I just I never really thought about it. Are you planning a trip to Texas that I don't know about?"

"Like I said, soon. We have this week off and I know I have another week coming later in the year. I was thinking maybe around Christmas."

"That is like six months from now." She said.

"Well you are starting a new job next week, it's not like they are going to give you a week off after a few months. Everyone gets a week at Christmas and I figured that would work for us to take a trip to Texas."

"You sure have this all planned." She commented.

"What can I say, I like to be prepared." He said. "So do you want to play a game I invented?" He asked.

"Sure what is it?"

"Well it is called food, friend, and fight. One of chooses three animals and the other one must decide which one he would eat, befriend or battle." He answered.

"So it's like Kiss, marry, and kill?" She stated.

"What's that?" He asked.

"It's a game where you are given three people and you have to choose who you would kiss marry or kill."

"That is different. Let's try that one. We can play the other when we go to the zoo."

"Are you sure?" She asked. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"Absolutely. I will start. Let's see. How about my three best friends, Leonard, Raj and Howard?"

"You want me to decide between them?" She asked stunned.

"Yeah tell me." He answered.

"Okay, let me think about this for a minute." She started. "I think I would kiss Howard, marry Raj and kill Leonard."

"Do you have any reasons for those choices?" He asked.

"Well Raj is a big softy so I think he would be a good husband."

"Really?"

"Well if I couldn't have you." She smiled.

"Oh." He said. "So why would you kill Leonard?"

"That is easy. So we wouldn't have to kick him out when we move in together. See this isn't fair. I really do like all your friends. I change my answer, I wouldn't want to kill any of them. Let's change kill to fight like in your game."

"I like that idea. So you would fight Leonard. What about kissing Howard? Why?"

"Well as I said I would be fighting Leonard so I could have you all to myself and get him out of the apartment. So naturally the last one has to be kiss Howard. No other reason than that."

"You know you don't have to fight Leonard to have me all to yourself. I can just tell him to make other living arrangements if you want to move in with me."

"Do you have to give him notice?"

"Our roommate agreement says I have to give him three months." Sheldon answered. "Are you saying you want to move in with me?"

"Well my lease is up at the end of May and I haven't told my landlord I am staying yet."

"I will give him notice as soon as we get back." Sheldon stated. "My turn."

"Okay." Amy said. This was her Sheldon, getting right back to the game. "How about Hannah, Penny and Bernadette."

"Not fair." He pouted.

"I have another three but you probably won't like them. I'll save them for round two."

"Oh boy. Alright, I would kiss Penny, marry Bernadette and fight Hannah."

"Fight Hannah? Why?"

"She's the only one I think I could beat." He laughed. "I have had my fights with Penny, Bernadette scares the hell out of me, so yeah I would fight Hannah."

"Makes sense. So you just picked out of the other two which you would kiss and marry?"

"Well like I said, Bernadette scares me so she would probably force me to marry her if we ever dated. I would kiss Penny and then not worry about anything else with her."

"Okay my turn." She said.

"Wil Wheaton, Barry Kripke, and President Seibert." He said.

"Really? Okay….I would marry Wil." She started.

"Ugh." He said.

"Yeah whatever. I would kiss Seibert and fight Kripke. Your turn. Julie Newmar, Leslie Winkle, and Ramona."

"Marry Julie Newmar, kiss Ramona, and fight Leslie, although I would kill her if we were playing it that way." He said. Amy laughed. "I think we are done this game for now."

"Okay so how about some counterfactuals?" She asked.

"That works."

The car ride to Santa Barbara was longer than expected due to an accident. They decided to just head straight for the hotel room and go to the zoo the next day. They had no set plans for the week except for dinner with Amy's mother that night and the party on Saturday. The only thing that was on the agenda was the zoo and possibly the Museum of Natural History Sea Center. Since Amy had grown up in Santa Barbara she knew of many fun to do but Sheldon wasn't much of a water person so boating and the beach were out. She knew they would probably spend most of their time inside at various museums but she didn't mind as long as she was with him.

They arrived at the hotel and their room was still being cleaned so they decided to go out for lunch while they waited.

"What time are we meeting your mother for dinner?" Sheldon asked her.

"Around seven." She answered. Sheldon looked at his watch.

"It's only 2:00. What shall we do?" He asked.

"Well why don't we go see if our room is ready. I could use a nap. That car ride was exhausting." She suggested.

"Okay." He said.

The two made their way back to the hotel and the room had just become available. When they opened the door, Amy was taken aback. The room was beautiful. It had a king size bed and a huge two person whirlpool tub.

"Oh I think the hotel made a mistake." She said.

"No they didn't." He told her.

"I don't understand." She said.

"After you told me where we were staying, I called and upgraded the room. This is a vacation, right? I thought we would be more comfortable in this room."

"You did that for us?" She asked. "I looked at these rooms but I didn't think you would like this kind of thing."

"Why not? I checked the hotel's website and it got five stars for cleanliness. I read many reviews for this place. I think it is safe. Besides we have had so much fun in the shower."

"You know what? I think I am not as tired as I thought. Maybe we should give this tub a try." She said, winking at him.

"I like that idea." He said, pulling her in for a long kiss.

"I will be right back." She said, wiggling out of his arms and heading into the bathroom.

Sheldon started the water while she was in the bathroom. He filled up the water and turned on the jets, testing the water to make sure it is the right temperature

"I didn't pack my bath thermometer but this will do." He said to no one in particular, as he undressed and got into the tub.

He heard her come out and turned around to see her standing in a fluffy hotel robe. She walked over to him and he looked up at her.

"Feeling shy?" He smirked and she shook her head no. She untied her robe and let it fall to the floor. He gulped as he took in her gorgeous nude body. He still coulsdn't believe she was his.

"Come on in the water's fine." He told her as she stepped into the tub. She settled herself between his legs and rested her head against his chest.

"Mmm…" She sighed. "This is relaxing." But Sheldon was not in the mood for relaxing. He pulled her hair off from her neck and kissed her, gently biting and sucking her neck, making her moan and wiggle her bottom against his erection.

"I think we need to get you clean, you dirty girl." He whispered in her ear as he broke away from her neck.

"I'm not a dirty girl! I am a good girl. All I was just trying to do was have a bath. You are the dirty one." She teased as he leaned over and grabbed a washcloth and soap. He lathered up the wash cloth and started to run it over her body, starting at her arms and up her shoulders. He ran it across her chest and fondled her gently through the cloth. The feeling of the warm cloth and his hand as they teased her were sending her into sensory overload. By the time he started running the cloth down her belly stopping at the apex of her thighs she had all she could take.

"You think you are clean enough?" He asked her as she flipped around to face him, straddling his lap and taking him all in. She nodded as she began to move up and down on him, making him toss his head back against the back of the tub and grab her behind for support. He moved her up and down faster and harder causing the water to bubble even more.

"You're right, I am a dirty girl." She told him.

They left the hotel at 6:30 to meet up with Amy's mother. Sheldon was very quiet in the car. He was very worried about making a good impression on her mother. Normally he did not care what people thought about him. This was different. He knew that he was going to marry Amy. This would be the first of many trips to her mother's. One day they would be hauling their children down here for visits. The enormity of that realization was gnawing at him. If he messed up this visit, all future visits would be awkward.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked him as they pulled up to the restaurant.

"I'm just tired. You wore me out." He smiled not wanting her to know how worried he really was.

"Are you sure? You don't seem like yourself." She tried again. She knew him too well.

"Amy, I promise you. I am just tired. We should have taken a nap after all." He said telling a half truth. Their escapade in the tub had worn him out but it was the good kind of tired that made you feel languid and happy.

"Okay if you say so. We don't have to stay too long with my mother. Then we can get a good night sleep before the zoo tomorrow." She smiled at him and he frowned and shook his head.

"Actually while you were getting ready, I checked the weather. It is supposed to rain in the afternoon." He said apologetically

"Well then how about the Sea Center?" Amy said unfazed, as long as they were together whatever they did would be fun.

"That sounds perfect. We can play food, fight or friend with sea animals instead of zoo animals."

"Sounds great." She answered him. She was still worried about him. He didn't seem himself. She was hoping it had nothing to do with meeting his mother. She loved him even though she had never met him in person. Amy was certain of that.

They got out of the car and Sheldon immediately took Amy's hand. They walked to ward the restaurant and Amy saw her mother sitting in the front. She was sitting with someone Amy didn't recognize.

"Who is with your mom?" Sheldon asked as they walked in to the restaurant.

"I have no idea." Amy answered him, just as curious as he was.

They walked up to the couple sitting near the front and greeted them.

"Hi mom." Amy of said as she approached them.

"Oh Amy, it is so good to see you again." Sandy said to her daughter, giving her a hug. "And Sheldon, it is so good to see you in person." She said, pulling him in to a hug also. The man standing next to her cleared his throat. "Oh yes. Amy, Sheldon, this is Michael Gibbs."

"It is nice to meet you." Michael said to them, in a British accent. "Your mom has told me all about you."

"Funny she never mentioned you." Amy said to him, smiling. Not only was her mother dating but the guy was British too.

"Well I wanted to surprise you." Sandy told her daughter.

"It certainly is surprising. How long have you guys been dating?" Amy commented. She wasn't sure how she felt about this situation. About a year after her father passed away her mother had dated a bit but it had been a while.

"Oh about three months." Sandy answered her daughter.

"Three months? And I am just now finding out?" Amy was a bit taken back by her mother's sudden secretive side.

"Amy, why don't we go wash up?" Sheldon said to her, hoping she would get the hint.

"That is a good idea." Sandy said to her daughter. "We are still waiting for Michael's son Dave."

"Wait what?" Amy asked, but Sheldon was pulling her hand to take her back to the restroom area.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, once they were out of earshot.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I mean you look like you just had the shock of your life. Now tell me what is the matter?" He said to her.

"It's stupid." She answered.

"If it is coming from you, it can't be." He stated.

"I just have not seen my mother date in a really long time. It just took me by surprise is all."

"When was the last time she dated?" Sheldon asked her.

"About a year after my dad died, my aunt set her up with a man from her church. They seemed to hit it off but then he found out about me and never called her again. Then there was another guy she met at a bookstore and he was very nice and seemed okay with me but it just didn't work out with them."

"Oh was there anyone else?"

"The last guy was when I was fifteen. I had just started my senior year in high school. The man she was dating was a widower who had a son in the same grade as me only he was eighteen already. They really had a great relationship. They dated for two years and he was getting ready to propose to her."

"What happened?"

"His son was in a horrible car accident and was paralyzed."

"Oh that is awful, but I don't understand what happened."

"Jason needed a special rehab facility that was in Texas. My mom wasn't willing to move there just to be with Mark. In fact, she totally freaked out. I have never seen her like that before. It was like she was terrified to move anywhere near Texas."

"What part of Texas?" Sheldon asked. He knew there was a pretty good research hospital near Galveston.

"I think near Galveston." She answered

"We could have met so much sooner." He stated.

"Well I was getting ready to leave for Harvard. That was why I was so confused. She could have had such a good life. But they ended up parting ways. They still keep in touch and Jason is doing very well now. It just wasn't meant to be."

"So that is the last guy she dated?" Sheldon asked.

"Yes. I know she has dates here and there but nothing substantial. She became obsessed with finding me a date instead."

"So now that you are taken she decided to try again. I think that is nice."

"It is. I was just surprised. It really is wonderful if she finds someone to make her happy." Amy said.

"I agree. Now let's get back out there before she sends a search party." Sheldon said to her.

"Alright." She said. She stood on her toes and gave him a kiss. "Thank you for caring."

"Of course I care. I love you." He said.

"I love you too." Amy said and took his hand to walk back to the front of the restaurant. Her mom was just coming around the corner when they walked out.

"Oh I was just coming back to get you. Dave is here." Sandy said to them.

"Dave is Michael's son?" Amy asked.

"Yes and I have met him. He is very nice. He teaches math at UC Santa Barbara."

"Okay let's go meet Dave." Amy said to her mom and Sheldon.

The three made their way back to the front of the restaurant. They saw a very tall man standing next to Michael.

"I found them." Sandy said to Michael, as Dave turned around to meet the other two joining them for dinner.

"OMG! You're Dr. Sheldon Cooper." He said upon seeing Sheldon. Amy looked shocked.

"You two know each other?" Amy asked.

"No we've never met, but I have been following his work in theoretical physics for years. You are a rock star!" Dave said shaking Sheldon's hand a bit too enthusiastically.

"Oh thank you." Sheldon said politely. He was not sure what to make of this man, but he seemed harmless enough.

The group was led to their seats. They ordered their drinks and the waiter told them he would be back to take their orders in a few moments.

"So mom, how did you and Michael meet?" Amy asked after the waiter left.

"On a dating website." Sandy answered her.

"You put your name on a dating website?" Amy asked her shocked.

"Well it worked for you." Sandy answered, smiling at Sheldon. "So I thought, why not me?" She said.

"But Mrs. Fowler, you know the algorithms for finding the perfect match are complete hokum." Sheldon said to her.

"Yet the two of you sit before me, having been matched on a high IQ dating website."

"A high IQ website?" Amy asked.

"Yes. Those other sites match people based on interests and favorite colors. The one I had your name on was supposedly for those with higher than average IQs. I figured if there was someone out there for you then that would be the place to find them. Sheldon you surely knew that was the site that matched you." Sandy said to him.

"Actually, I still have no idea what website my friends put my information. Although it does make sense now as the questions they quoted me did not seem like the type that was on the website I put my friend Penny on a few years back."

"Wait you put Penny's name on a dating website?" Amy asked him.

"Yes a few years ago when she became addicted to online gaming."

"It was really that bad?" Amy asked.

"When she came in my room that was the last straw. Actually, no, it was when she called my boss' office to find me."

"Oh wow." Amy said.

"I'm sorry, who's Penny?" Michael asked.

"Oh, my neighbor across the hall." Sheldon asked.

"And she's been in your room?" Sandy asked her.

"Yes mother she has been in his room but nothing happened between them. Penny is my best friend." Amy said, giving her mother a look that told her to drop the subject of Penny. "So we were matched on a high IQ website?" Amy said to Sheldon.

"It would appear so."

"Well it makes perfect sense." Dave chimed in.

"How so?" Amy asked.

"Well Dr. Cooper is brilliant and from what your mother has told us about you, I would say that you are also very intelligent."

"Intelligent?" Sheldon asked incredulously. "She is more than intelligent. She is a genius like me. She graduated high school at 16. She has an IQ of 183, which by the way is only four less than me and it could be higher as once you get to certain level it isn't accurate anyway."

Amy blushed at the way Sheldon was defending her intelligence. Her mother smiled. She could see how much Amy loved this man and the way he was speaking so highly of her, she could tell he loved her just as much.

"Sheldon, you are embarrassing me." Amy said.

"Well he needed to hear just how brilliant you are."

"Okay, I get it. Sorry if I offended you." Dave said apologetically.

"No need to apologize, Dave." Amy said, eying Sheldon. "My boyfriend just gets enthusiastic."

"Yes well…" Sheldon said.

"Anyway." Michael said, trying to change the subject. "What is everyone having to eat?" He finished, just as the waiter arrived back to take their orders.

While they waited for their dinner, Dave brought up a subject that Sheldon could talk about, himself and physics.

"So Dr. Cooper, how long did it take for you to write the paper about super singular prime numbers? I thought it was brilliant."

"Why, thank you. I think it took about an hour and a half." He answered.

"Wow!" Dave said. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." Amy said. "I was there."

"Really? That must have been exciting. I mean wow!" Dave said.

"If you will excuse me, I must use the ladies room." Sandy said.

"I will join you." Amy said

While they were gone, Dave had informed Sheldon that he drove 500 miles to hear him speak at Stanford.

"Oh I remember that speech. I was with my roommate Leonard. The questions that night were tedious." Sheldon said.

"Well I asked one and you told me it was stupid and obvious." Dave said.

"Oh yeah that was the nicest thing I said to someone that night." Sheldon laughed. "And your question wasn't that stupid but it was kind of obvious."

"You remember my question?" Dave asked elated. "Dad he remembers the question I asked him." He said turning to his father.

"I heard the man." Michael said.

"I have an eidetic memory. I remember everything." Sheldon said to them.

"Oh well that explains it then." Michael said. It didn't seem to matter to Dave though. He was so excited to meet his idol. At that point Sandy and Amy returned to the table. They could see Dave was being very animated.

"Mom, rescue Sheldon." Amy whispered as they sat down.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the week?" Sandy asked, trying to change the subject from Dave's enthusiasm.

"Oh well we are going to the zoo and the Sea Center for sure. But other than that we don't have other plans." Amy replied

"Oh and I want to make dinner for you on Friday." Sandy said.

"That sounds great."

"I will make a roast." Sandy said. "Anything else planned?"

"Well there is the birthday party on Saturday." Amy answered.

"Oh of course. You know the entire family is going to be there." Sandy informed them.

"Really?" Amy asked.

"Of course. Aunt Flora isn't getting any younger. We don't know how many more of these parties we are going to be able to have."

"Are you sure that is the reason everyone is coming?" Amy asked her suspiciously. Her mother had had many of these parties in the past and hardly anyone ever showed.

"Well they may be coming to see you." Sandy admitted.

"You mean to see Sheldon. They want to see if I made him up like Armand the miniature horse breeder." Amy said.

"Well that could be true also." Sandy said.

"Mom, this is going to be a disaster." Amy stated.

"It will be fine Amy." Sandy said, trying to reassure her.

"I can hear Nick now." Amy said.

"Amy, I am sure it will be fine." Sheldon said, taking her hand. "Look I am real. I told you earlier, I could care less if they think you paid me to be here. I know the truth and everyone sitting at this table knows the truth. Don't worry about your family."

"Well he's a keeper." Michael stated.

"Thank you, Sheldon." Amy said.

After dinner, Sheldon and Amy went back to their hotel and collapsed on the bed. They had had a long day and sleep overtook them very quickly.

**A/N: Okay so what did you think of how I introduced Dave? I just loved him. He will be back I promise. Plus remember Sheldon's childhood friend? No well stay tuned. Any guesses?**

**Reviews make my day...thanks for reading.**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Okay here it is chapter 27. I admit I am nervous about this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. **

**Thanks to my Beta, Boys3allC for her help in the flow of this chapter. **

**As always I don't own the characters. I just take them out to play.**

The rest of the week flew by quickly. Sheldon, who had never really gone on vacation, couldn't believe how fast the week had gone. They had gone to the Sea Center on Tuesday. Sheldon and Amy had played Eat, Friend, Fight. Sheldon had decided to eat a hagfish until he watched a YouTube video of one producing its own mucus. He then decided to eat Sponge Bob. That day was really fun for them. On Wednesday they spent the day at the zoo as the rain had let up. They thought it was very good but not as good as their normal zoo. Friday they were going to Amy's mother's house for dinner. Michael and Dave were going to be there again. The party was on Saturday.

Friday night, the two drove over to Amy's childhood home to have dinner.

"I hope Dave doesn't gush all over me again tonight." Sheldon said unconvincingly.

"Oh come on, you loved it." Amy laughed.

"I mean I am grateful he is a fan." He said " But I don't want him to dominate our conversation again." He laughed

"He was a bit shall we say...enthusiastic." Amy said still a little annoyed how Dave had gushed over Sheldon.

"Well you know what? I won't let him. I will just have to avoid him like the plague… But how?" He mused and then he looked over at her his eyes lit up with mischief. "Maybe your mom will show me some baby pictures. I would live to see little Amy in the house you grew up in."

"God I hope not." Amy moaned.

"I want to see how cute you were as a child. I mean you must have been cute, considering your beauty now." He said.

"I wasn't cute. I was awkward. I am still awkward."

"Nope….you are beautiful." He said firmly.

"You know when you say those thing I almost believe you." Amy said to him, as they pulled into her mother's driveway.

Amy opened her car door but Sheldon put his arm out to stop her.

"What?" She asked.

"When are you going to stop berating yourself? You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. You know me, I don't say things that are untrue. Please believe me. I love you."

"I love you too. It's just no one has ever told me these things before well besides my father, so it makes it hard to believe."

"Well please believe me." Sheldon said to her. He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Now come on, I see your mother peeking out the window."

"Okay. Thank you." Amy said. She opened her car door and they walked up to her mother's door. She opened it as soon as they stepped up to it.

"Hello there." Sandy said in greeting. "I was wondering what was taking you so long. Amy, are you alright?" She asked, seeing Amy's look on her face.

"Everything is fine." Amy said, walking past her mother into the house. "It smells wonderful in here. Can I help with anything?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh no dear, I have everything under control. Dinner should be ready in about half an hour. Michael and Dave should be here any moment." Just as she said that they heard a car pull up in the driveway. "Oh here they are now."

"Terrific." Sheldon said, excitedly. Amy glared at him. "What?" He mouthed to her. She just laughed.

"Michael told Dave to leave you alone a bit tonight, Sheldon." Sandy said to him. "He was a bit too enthusiastic the other night."

"Oh." Sheldon said sounding a tad disappointed.

"Sheldon!" Amy laughed.

"What did I do?" He laughed along with her.

"You really did enjoy his attention the other night." She said.

"Okay you are right. I have never really had a fan before. Most people find me annoying and I know I can be so it was nice to have someone recognize me for my accomplishments."

"I guess I understand but let's not let him control you like he did the other night."

"Okay." Sheldon agreed.

Sandy had gone to open the door for the other two guests.

"You guys go make yourselves at home in the family room. I am going to go check on the dinner." They heard Sandy say to them.

The two men joined Amy and Sheldon in the room.

"Hello." Michael said as they entered the room.

"Hello, good to see you again." Amy greeted. "I think I am going to see if my mom needs any help." She said, getting up and heading into the kitchen.

Amy left the room and left Sheldon alone with Michael and Dave.

"So how has your week been?" Michael asked Sheldon after Amy left the room.

"Oh we have had a wonderful week. We went to the Sea Museum and the zoo. Amy tried to talk me into the beach but I am not a fan of sand. She did talk me into sitting next to the pool yesterday." He told them like it was getting him to pet a shark.

"You don't swim?" Dave asked him.

"No I don't float. I have a higher than normal body density."

"Oh well that's interesting."

"I know if I run too deep a bath I drown." He laughed.

"What's this about drowning?" Amy asked, coming back into the room.

"I was telling Dave that I don't swim because I sink. If I run a deep bath I could drown." Sheldon said to her.

"Oh, I thought you didn't swim because of the germs." She laughed, Amy beams at him remembering him sitting by the pool with the zinc on his nose and his floppy hat on. Amy sat down next to him placing her hand on his knee.

"Yeah there is that too." He said taking her hand in his.

"I don't remember you having any trouble in our big bath tub in the room." She whispered in his ear. Sheldon turned red and squeezed her hand tightly. Her talking like that in front of company might get him in trouble.

"So Michael what do you do for a living? I know Dave is a mathematics professor at UC Santa Barbara." Sheldon asked, changing the subject quickly before he asked Amy to give him a tour of her childhood bedroom, and not come out for awhile.

"Oh well I recently retired." Michael answered. "I was a high school English teacher for 35 years."

"Oh well that sounds wonderful." Amy jumped in before Sheldon could make some snide comment about English.

"Yes. I myself could never see myself as a teacher. Someone has to do it, I guess." Sheldon answered as politely as possible.

"Dinner is ready." Sandy called from the kitchen.

The four of them headed into the dining room and sat down. Sandy was bringing in the last of the food. "What can I get everyone to drink?" She asked.

"Water is fine." Sheldon answered.

"Here let me help." Michael got up and went into the kitchen. He came out with a pitcher of water and a bottle of wine.

Sandy had made a roast with mashed potatoes and a salad. Sheldon enjoyed the meal very much. Sandy was an excellent cook.

"Mrs. Fowler, I must say, this is an outstanding meal." He said.

"Thank you Sheldon." She purred, already she was quite taken with Amy's new man. "Please call me Sandy." She said to him.

"Well it was wonderful. Thank you for inviting us. We would probably just have ordered our normal Chinese food."

"Do you mean Amy hasn't cooked for you?" Sandy asked him.

"Yes mother, I have cooked for him. I have made him lasagna and then his favorite spaghetti with hot dogs cut up in it."

"You mean you haven't made him your famous casserole yet? You have been together for almost a year."

"Famous casserole?" Sheldon asked.

"Well mom always loved it. I wouldn't call it famous." Amy said, blushing.

"It's delicious. It's like a taco dip only it can be a meal. I can't believe she hasn't made it for you." Sandy said.

"Well I will have to make sure she makes it for me then." Sheldon said. He glanced at Amy and winked.

The rest of dinner was spent making polite conversation. Dave asked about Sheldon's latest research but was not quite as enthusiastic as he had been during their previous interaction. After dinner, Sandy told everyone to go in the family room while she made coffee. Amy told her to go sit that she could take care of it. Sheldon offered to help but Sandy would have none of that.

"No come Sheldon, you come with me. I can show you some pictures of Amy when she was younger."

"Oh Lord." Amy said.

"I think we will go. I am going to let you get to know Sheldon a bit better." Michael said. "But we will see you tomorrow for the party."

"Oh okay." Sandy said. "See you tomorrow." She said, giving Michael a kiss goodbye. "So let's go look at those pictures."

"I would love to see them." Sheldon said, laughing.

Sandy dragged Sheldon into the family room and went to a bookshelf and pulled a large photo album off of it.

"You'll have to forgive me Sheldon. I don't have any pictures from when she was a baby. They were lost in a move unfortunately. I have a couple of pictures in frames but that is about it. So we will have to start when she was about four. That is when we moved to Santa Barbara."

"Oh I had no idea. I just assumed Amy was born in Santa Barbara."

"She was born in Texas." Sandy said.

"She was? I was born in Texas. What part?" Sheldon asked.

"Amy mentioned that you were from Texas. Amy was born in Houston."

"Me too." Sheldon said. "I wonder why she never mentioned that before."

"She doesn't know. She thinks she was born and raised in Santa Barbara." Sandy told him.

"Why?" Sheldon asked. He was confused.

Sandy knew she was skating on thin ice. She knew Sheldon was her daughter's friend when they were small immediately when Amy had told her his name. How many Sheldon Coopers could there be that were born in Houston, Texas. She wasn't sure how much Sheldon remembered though. Amy had not told her mother about his eidetic memory.

"Well Sheldon, I was born in California. I dated Amy's father, Jerry Fowler, in high school. But I dated her birth father when I was in college."

"I am confused."

"Well it is a long story, but that is why I lost all my pictures of Amy when she was young. I left her father when she was four. I left everything behind. She thinks the moving men destroyed them. I had grabbed a few before I left but I was trying to leave fast."

"Oh. What happened?" Sheldon asked, but just as Sandy was about to answer, Amy walked back into the room.

"What are you two talking about?" She asked.

"Your mom was just telling me that she doesn't have a lot of pictures of you as a baby." Sheldon answered.

"Oh yes, we lost them in some move. Stupid movers. But I have seen a few. My grandmother had a few and mom was able to save a few." Amy answered.

"So let's take a look at these pictures." Sheldon said, opening the book. He looked at the first picture and stopped dead in his tracks. "Samantha?" He questioned, looking at Sandy curiously.

"You recognize her?" Sandy asked shocked.

"I have an eidetic memory. I remember everything from the time I was two. Of course I recognize her…she was my best friend."

"Samantha?" Amy asked. "Wasn't she the little girl you told me you were friends with in Texas but she then she had to move."

"Yes." Sheldon answered.

"That is not Samantha, Sheldon … That is me."

"Amy, I think I would know Samantha. We were friends for two years before she went away to that special school."

"You must be mistaken Sheldon. I bet I just look a lot like her." She said.

"No." Sandy said. "Sheldon is right."

"Wait what?" Amy asked. She was confused. "How is that possible? I have never lived in Texas."

"Yes we did. You were born in Texas. It is a very long story." Sandy said.

"Well we have time now. I think you have some explaining to do." Amy said starting to raise her voice.

"Now Amy calm down. I am sure you mother has a perfectly good reason…" Sheldon started but he was cut off.

"What for lying to me for my entire life? I can't believe this. How long have you known?" She asked her mother angrily.

"I figured it out shortly after you told me the name of the man you were dating. I had to know. I mean Sheldon is not a very common name. And pair that with the fact that his last name was Cooper, I looked him up. You know he is, as Dave put it, a bit of a rock star. He was easily found on the internet. I read his entire biography on Caltech's website. I knew immediately he was the Sheldon Cooper you had been friends with when you were a child."

"But that doesn't explain anything mom. I thought daddy was my father."

"He was Amy."

"But he wasn't my biological father was he? He couldn't have been if my name isn't even Amy. What happened mom?"

"I met Sam when I was in college. He was so different from every other guy I had ever dated. He was a bit of a rebel. I fell in love almost instantly. He chose me. So when we graduated from college, he got a job in Galveston. He wanted me to go with him. I told him I wouldn't go unless he was completely committed to our relationship. That was when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. We got married that night in Vegas. My parents were extremely angry. I didn't care. I was in love. We moved the next week."

"So when did it go bad?" Sheldon asked. He had a feeling he knew what came next.

"Not right away. He was wonderful at first, but then I got pregnant with Amy and things went downhill fast. It started with the name. We had agreed to name a boy Samuel Joseph Junior and if we had a girl Amy Farrah. But when Amy was born, Sam put on the birth certificate Samantha Jo. I was furious but I couldn't do anything about it. He had sent it to the state."

"Wait, I remember that you had a son too." Sheldon said, remembering the teenage boy that lived with them.

"No, we had an exchange student. Sam was paid well to board Manny. He had lost his job and needed the extra cash. Manny was from Spain. How do you think Amy was able to teach you Spanish so easily?"

"Well she was brilliant." Sheldon said, smiling brightly at Amy, who was still fuming. Sheldon took her hand in his.

"So what happened?" Amy asked.

"Well after your father lost his job, he got angry. Even though we had plenty of money because of my job, he felt he had lost his manhood. He had grown up being told that it was the man's responsibility to take care of his wife and children. He could never accept that I made more money than he did. He started to take his frustrations out on me." Sandy said, her voice choking up.

"Oh mom." Amy started but Sandy plowed on.

"I never understood why. I never held it over his head or anything. Amy I was so glad you had Sheldon. You never really saw what your father did to me. At first I blamed myself. Then I spoke to your mom, Sheldon. She told me under no uncertain terms it was not my fault. I called the police so many times but he kept coming back. It got worse and worse until I couldn't take it anymore. I packed us up one night while he was out but he came home. I had sent Manny to another family that was housing exchange students. They were willing to take him in. He was so angry. He beat me bad that night. Sheldon your daddy came over and oh god, I had never seen him so angry."

"My dad?" Sheldon questioned.

"Yes. Sheldon, he may have been an alcoholic who cheated on your mom but he never once hit her. He may have screamed and yelled but I know you mom would never have allowed it. I know she put up with a lot from him, even early on. But she loved your dad and he helped me that night. He pulled Sam off me while Mary called the cops. Amy, your dad spent the night in prison that night. That was when we left."

"Oh God mom why didn't you tell me." Amy was crying.

"You were so young and your dad, I mean Jerry, loved you so much. When I came back to California, I legally changed your name to Amy Farrah Johnson that was my maiden name. I changed mine to Sandra, my middle name and we started a new life. I sent the divorce papers in the mail and your father never attempted to find me."

"I wonder why that is?" Sheldon asked.

"I kept in touch a little bit with your mom. She told me that your dad and a few of his buddies made sure to let Sam know he was not to look for me or Amy. I don't know what they did nor do I want to know, but I know that I never once heard from Sam again."

"Then why change my name?" Amy asked.

"Well I did that before I knew what Sheldon's father had done. Plus I didn't want to constantly be reminded of the mistake I made with Sam. I never wanted you to be named Samantha. I always wanted an Amy so I changed it." Sandy said to her.

"So when did you marry daddy?" Amy asked her.

"About 6 months after we moved here." Sandy answered her. "That's the reason you never knew. You were so young. Jerry adopted you legally a year later. You became Amy Farrah Fowler and the whole affair was over."

"I don't understand why you kept this from me." Amy said.

"I was trying to protect you." Sandy told her. "You have to understand, your father, biological father I mean, he was a dangerous man. I didn't want anything to happen to you. It was my job as your mother to keep you from getting hurt. If I could turn back the clock, I would still have done the exact same thing. Amy I love you and I wasn't going to let you get hurt like he hurt me. I may have gone about it the wrong way. And yes I probably should have told you sooner."

"I will agree with you on that one but I guess I do understand." Amy said.

"You do?" Sandy asked relieved.

"Mom, okay I may not fully understand why you didn't tell me but I understand why you did it." Amy said. "So am I really the Samantha Sheldon knew as a child?"

"Yes you are. And I actually have a picture." Sandy said, getting up and heading into her bedroom. She came back holding a small photo album.

"You have a photo album?" Amy asked.

"Yes I was able to grab this one in my haste to leave. Here" She said handing it to Amy. Amy tentatively opened the album. The first picture she saw was of her and her mother when Amy was an infant. The next was a picture of a man who looked somewhat familiar to her.

"Who's this?" Amy asked.

"That is your father." Sandy answered her.

"I have seen him before." Amy commented.

"When?" Sandy asked.

"I can't be sure but I have definitely seen him." Amy replied.

"Are you sure it was him?" Sandy asked, panicking at the thought that her ex-husband was somewhere in California.

"I can't be 100% sure but he sure looks familiar." Amy answered her.

"Let me see that picture." Sheldon asked.

Amy handed him the picture. Sheldon immediately recognized the man in the photo.

"Oh I remember him. And Amy, I think you are right, I think I have seen him too. I mean he is older. I think he may work at Caltech."

"But Sheldon you have an eidetic memory, how come you wouldn't recognize him?" Sandy asked.

"I didn't recognize you." Sheldon answered.

"True. But I also changed my look as well. So are you sure it is him?" Sandy asked.

"It could be but I don't know for sure. There is a way to find out though." Sheldon replied.

"How is that?" Sandy asked.

"Well we look him up in the employee address book. Let me call Leonard." Sheldon said, getting his phone out. He quickly dialed the number. Leonard picked up on the third ring.

"Hey buddy what's up?" Leonard asked.

"I need you to do me a favor." Sheldon told him.

"What's that?" Leonard asked.

"Can you look up on the Caltech employee address book if there is a Samuel Keller working in any department?"

"You remember our last name?" Sandy whispered to him. Sheldon just nodded.

Leonard looked up the name and found no one with that name. He came back on the phone.

"No one by that name is in the book." Leonard told him.

"Okay. Thanks Leonard." Sheldon said to him.

"No problem. What was that about?" Leonard asked.

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you." Sheldon answered. "It's a long story. I will tell you when I get back. Suffice it to say, I found Samantha."

"What?" Leonard asked.

"Like I said long story. We will be back on Sunday. Have everyone at the apartment. I don't want to have to tell this story more than once."

"You got it buddy. Have a good time at the party tomorrow." Leonard said.

"Thanks. See you Sunday." Sheldon said and hung up.

"What did he say?" Sandy asked.

"No one by the name of Samuel Keller is working at Caltech. So the guy we saw must just look like Sam." Sheldon replied to her.

"Are we sure? He could have changed his name. I changed mine. He could have done the same to stay under the radar."

"That could be. I do know of another way to find out. We could call my mother." Sheldon said.

"Let's not worry about it now. Let's stay with the impression that it isn't him and only worry if he approaches you." Sandy said, looking at Amy. "Listen, Amy, I know I have thrown you for a complete loop tonight. Please know I did it to protect you."

"I know mom. I have a lot to process. I think Sheldon and I need to get going." Amy said.

"You will still be at the party tomorrow, right?" Sandy asked.

"Of course we will." Amy replied.

"Okay good." Sandy said, getting up and walking Sheldon and Amy to the door. She gave her daughter a hug.

"Goodnight mom. I love you." Amy said.

"I love you too. And I am sorry." Sandy said. "Goodnight Sheldon."

"Goodnight Sandy. See you tomorrow." Sheldon replied.

Amy got into her car and started to shake. She couldn't believe the information she had been given in such a short period of time.

"Amy are you okay to drive?" Sheldon asked.

"Yeah I am fine." She said to him and started the car. She drove them back to the hotel without any incidents. They walked slowly back to the room. Once inside, Amy lost it. She just started crying. Sheldon held her the whole time.

"Let it out." Sheldon said. He knew she had been thrown a curve ball and he wanted to do everything in his power to make it right. She cried for a long time. When she was finished she looked up at Sheldon.

"I can't believe it, all this time. I knew there was a connection between us. I have never felt so strong a feeling towards someone in such a short period of time."

"I felt the same. I even told my mom when we broke up that you reminded me of Samantha. And now I come to find out that you are really her. After twenty five years, I finally found you. A website may have been what brought us together but there was something else intervening."

"Oh come on Sheldon, you don't believe in fate." Amy said. "It is just a coincidence. Nothing more."

"Yes but what are the odds? I mean, I could very easily have told Howard and Raj to go pound sand when they told me about you. But I didn't. I was intrigued."

"Oh come on we both know Raj threatened to tell your mom about those magazines you have hidden under your bed."

"Uh…what magazines?" Sheldon started to stutter.

"Sheldon relax, I am not mad."

"Oh well I got rid of them all." He said.

"I know." She laughed. "I looked under your bed not that long ago."

"Are you spying on me?" Sheldon asked incredulously.

"Absolutely not. I was just curious if you still had them." She said.

"I haven't needed those magazines in six months." Sheldon told her.

"Good to know." Amy said. "If it makes you feel better I haven't needed my stress reliever in six months either."

"You mean Gerard?" Sheldon asked.

"How did you know? Oh wait never mind, Penny told you didn't she?"

"That you had an electric toothbrush named Gerard that you used to pleasure yourself, yes." Sheldon laughed.

"Okay yes. But Gerard hasn't been used in months." Amy said.

"I should hope not."

"Nope, only one guy for me these days. And apparently I have known him my whole life."

"Well if it makes you feel better I have known you my whole life. I never forgot about those days with you." Sheldon told her.

"I do forget though." Amy said. "How am I supposed to feel about that?"

"I am sorry. And if I could change anything I would. Maybe I can tell you all about those days and it will jog a memory of me." Sheldon suggested.

"Maybe. But I also don't want to jog any poor memories either."

"I won't let them. I will protect you from the bad memories." Sheldon said.

"I know you will. You are my knight in shining armor." She said.

"You used to tell me that you know." He said.

"No I didn't." She laughed.

"Okay you didn't but that would have been funny." Sheldon laughed with her. "Listen we have had a long night. Why don't we get ready for bed and then we can start fresh tomorrow. We have a birthday party with all of your relatives to go to."

"Don't remind me." She said.

"Oh it will be fine. I promise."

"You really are my knight in shining armor. You know that right?"

"Always." He said. "Now go get ready for bed.

The two settled into bed and Sheldon wrapped his arms protectively around Amy. He never wanted to let her go again. He kissed the top of her head.

"Goodnight." Amy said to him.

"Goodnight. I love you." He said.

"I love you too." She said and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

**Okay so Amy is Samantha. What do you think? Let me know in a review. **


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: So we are nearing the end of this tale. I have pretty much told all I can. I feel there will only be two more chapters after this one. I must say I can't thank all my reviewers and followers of this story. I can't believe how long it has been since I started it. So without further ado here is chapter 28: The birthday party. **

**I don't own any of the characters you recognize...just the ones you don't.**

_The two settled into bed and Sheldon wrapped his arms protectively around Amy. He never wanted to let her go again. He kissed the top of her head._

_ "Goodnight." Amy said to him._

_ "Goodnight. I love you." He said. _

_ "I love you too." She said and she slowly drifted off to sleep._

"_I'm sorry Amy I just can't handle it." Sheldon said looking broken._

"_Handle what?" Amy asked confused._

"_That you are Samantha, that you left me before. I was heartbroken. I had to navigate life without you and I never recovered. I am sorry but I just can't trust you anymore." Sheldon said getting up to leave but Any hung onto his hand._

"_Sheldon! I was just a little girl! I couldn't control what happened." Amy pleaded, starting to cry._

"_You knew didn't you? You knew the whole time who you were yet you kept me in the dark."_

"_No! I promise! I would never leave you on purpose Sheldon!"_

"_Maybe now you will know what it feels like. What it feels like to lose someone." He said coldly as he broke from her grasp and stormed out the door._

"_I didn't know! I promise I didn't know!" Amy sobbed, slumping against the door_

Amy woke up in a cold sweat screaming.

"What's wrong?" Sheldon asked panicked. He could tell Amy was awake and not having a night terror. He was worried about her.

"Nightmare" she told him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked her.

"I'm not sure." She said uncertainly. She was afraid if she told him, he would agree with his dream self.

"You know you can tell me anything" he told her.

"Well okay but please don't get angry with me" she pleaded.

"How can I be angry at you over a nightmare?" He asked perplexed.

"You were in my nightmare. I dreamt you left me because I left you when you were young. You were mad at me for being Samantha and never saying anything. You accused me of knowing the whole time we had been dating." She said all of this in one breath.

"Okay well first off, I'm not going anywhere. That is a guarantee. Second, how can I be mad at you for leaving when your mother is the one that left and with good reason?"

"It's just that…" She started but Sheldon cut her off.

"Amy, I'm not angry. Sure I was taken completely by surprise at the revelation that you are the little girl that was my best friend. We were really good friends and I was very upset when you left. Now that I found you again, do you really think I am going to leave?" He asked her seriously.

"No, I am just so overwhelmed" she told him.

"I understand that. Your mother threw a lot of information at you tonight. It is understandable that you would be confused and overwhelmed. But let me assure you, I will help you through this. I will tell you about our times together. Maybe, just maybe you will remember something about our time." He said to her.

"I do hope I remember. I have a question though." She said.

"I would think you have loads of questions." He said.

"Why were we friends and not your sister and I? When I was growing up, my mother was always telling me to be careful about boys who claimed they only wanted to be friends. She used to think they were after one thing and one thing only. I am surprised she allowed me to be friends with you. I mean Missy is exactly the same age as you. Why would she not want me to have a little girl as a friend?" Amy asked.

"Well if I recall when you moved in, your mother and my mother got together with you and Missy, but you didn't want to play dolls with Missy. Missy was quite bossy and you two were always butting heads. Then you saw a science kit that I had. You were immediately drawn to it and began to play with me instead of her." Sheldon recalled, smiling. It was the first and last time someone chose to play with him over Missy.

"What did Missy do?" Amy asked, laying back on his chest.

"Oh! She was furious. You were the first girl in the neighborhood in a while and Missy thought you would be fast friends."

"Instead I gravitated toward you. " Amy said, thinking it was funny how fate worked. She gravitated towards him even before she knew what love was.

"You told Missy her dolls were stupid." Sheldon said, laughing.

"That sounds like me. I never played with dolls properly."

"Missy didn't even know what that word meant."

"How did she not know what stupid meant?" Amy asked.

"Missy and I were only three after all. That would mean that you had just turned two. I remember Missy was really perplexed at your verbal skills."

"My mother did tell me I was a precocious talker."

"You know what is odd though? Normally I did not like to play with children my own age, yet I knew instantly that we would be friends. I was happy to have a friend that wasn't my sister or brother. You were someone I could play my science with."

"Well how did Missy react?" Amy asked, curiously.

"Well as I said we were three so naturally Missy threw a temper tantrum. She said I took her friend." Sheldon answered her.

"It sounds like you kind of did." Amy said, looking up at him.

"It was not my fault that you liked my stuff better than hers." Sheldon said, defending himself.

"I'm kidding Sheldon. I must say that sounds exactly like me. My mom tried to buy me dolls when I was little and I never wanted one. My dad, he seemed to always know the kind of gift I would like. He got me a play microscope when I was five. We used to do experiments all the time in our backyard. Dad loved science." She said, reminiscing about her father. She suddenly got very quiet. "I miss that. I remember playing all the time with him."

"That sounds like a great memory of your dad. My dad never understood my obsession with science, but Meemaw and Pop Pop did. They are the ones that bought that science kit that you and I played with that day.

"Well I am glad you had someone to share your love of science with. After my dad died, I didn't."

"You mean your mom didn't support you?" Sheldon asked.

"Oh she supported me in everything I did. She was very proud. I just wish that I had someone to experiment with."

"I never had that either but then again I was in college at eleven. It's not like the eighteen year olds wanted to be my lab partner. I usually worked alone." He said sadly.

"It's a shame we couldn't have gone to college together." She said.

"Well if you had stayed we may have been able." He said. "But I am not blaming you." Clarifying before she took that the wrong way.

"I know. We probably would have been best friends."

"There is no probably about it. We were already best friends." He said.

"We could have dated sooner." Amy said.

"We would probably be married by now." Sheldon laughed.

"Married?" Amy questioned.

"Think about it. We met thirty years ago. I think if we say started dating around the age of sixteen." Amy cut him off.

"At sixteen you already had your doctorate. You were already in California. I was fifteen and awkward. You would not have dated me. I was still in high school."

"Amy we would have been together. I know it. We were meant to find each other again after all these years. I don't know if it was fate or a mere coincidence but we found each other again. I know you don't remember our time together but trust me, we would still be together and I think we would be married by now. Probably for at least ten years."

"Well in your fantasy, do we have kids?" Amy laughed.

"Only if you want them." He answered seriously. This was a conversation they had not had yet.

"Only if they are yours." She said.

"They better not be anybody else's." He laughed.

"Never." She said. She looked at the clock in their room. "We should get back to sleep. I don't want to be tired for the party. Oh the party! How can I face my relatives now that I know my whole life has been a lie?" She was distraught.

"Amy, your life is not a lie. Your mom was protecting you." He told her. "If you don't want to go to the party we don't have to go."

"No I want to go. I am just afraid they will treat me differently if they know I know the truth."

"How so?"

"I don't know. I just don't want them to feel sorry for me." Then she thought of something. "Oh my god! They knew."

"Who knew?" Sheldon asked her.

"My whole family. My aunts, my grandmother, everyone." She answered.

"Do you think your cousins knew?" He asked.

"I don't think so." She answered. "They would have told me. Nick is only a year older than me and Michelle was born when I was six. I think my aunts kept them unaware as well."

"So it's only your aunts. Not a big deal. They've known. They are not going to treat you any differently now that you know. They helped your mom, remember that." Sheldon told her.

"You are right. Now let's get back to sleep." She said.

The next morning, Sheldon woke up before Amy. He quietly got up and went into the bathroom. He thought she could use the extra sleep. He dressed quickly and headed down to the lobby in order to get breakfast for both of them. Not knowing what she felt like he grabbed a few bananas, two bowls of cereal, and some milk. When he got back into the room, he noticed the bed was empty. He heard the shower start in the bathroom and decided to join her. He set the food down on the table and stripped off his clothes. He walked into the bathroom and Pulled open the glass door to the shower.

"Hello." She said as he climbed in.

"Good morning." He said, wrapping his arms around her from behind, Placing a soft kiss on her shoulder. Then he moved his hands up and cupped her breasts. He played with her breasts, squeezing her nipples and tugging on them. Sheldon could tell she was getting close, loving how sensitive she was and how easy it was to make her come. He pulled her tighter against his body and moved one hand between her legs slipping his fingers between her folds. Then he felt her shudder against him.

"Good morning." She said turning around in his arms and kissing him. "Where did you go?" She asked him, when she woke up she had been hoping for a little playtime but the bed had been empty.

"I got breakfast." He answered. "Bananas and cereal."

"I thought you hated watching me eat bananas." She said teasing him, kissing his mouth and then wrapping her hands around his erection.

"Only when you eat them the wrong way." He answered, kissing her neck and tipping her head back to gain more access. He moaned into her neck as she pumped him gently up and down.

"You want to see me eat a banana the right way?" She whispered in his ear suggestively. He looked at her in surprise as she got down on her knees and took him into her mouth.

"Oh god." He moaned. He had to lean against the glass shower door for support. He looked down at her and they locked eyes as she took him all the way in her mouth. He watched her move him in and out of her mouth as the warm shower water cascades dowwn her back. The sight was extremely erotic and he kne he couldn't hang on much longer.

"Amy…I…" he moaned.

"It's okay." She said, swirling her tongue around his swollen tip before swallowing him again. He couldn't hold back anymore.

"I am going to pay you back for that later." He told her when she got back up to continue her shower.

"I'm sure you will." Amy said winking.

After their fun in the shower, they ate their breakfast quietly and finished dressing. They left for the party just before one and arrived at the nursing home just as Amy's mother was arriving.

"Oh Amy I am so glad you still came." Sandy said to her daughter.

"I told you I would be here." Amy answered.

"I know. I was just worried you would change your mind." Sandy said.

"I wouldn't do that. I will admit I had a lot to think about after I left your house but I realized you were only protecting me. I am not angry. I understand why you did what you did." Amy told her. "But I do have to ask you a question."

"Anything."

"Do Michelle or Nick know about any of this?" Amy asked.

"Absolutely not. Nick was so young when we moved here and Michelle has always known you as Amy so there was never a need to tell them. Obviously your aunts know."

"I figured. Do you think we can keep it a secret today that I know?" Amy asked her.

"I think that is a good idea. Let's just celebrate Aunt Flora's birthday and no one needs to be the wiser."

"Thank you." Amy said. "Where are Michael and Dave?" She asked her mother.

"Michael will be here around two. He had plans this morning with his fellow retired teachers. They go out to breakfast once a month. I am not sure whether Dave will be joining him or not today."

"Okay." Amy said.

"So shall we go inside? I see Aunt Barbara is here already." Sandy told them.

"Let's go." Sheldon said, taking Amy's hand.

As they were walking inside Amy heard a voice from behind. She turned around and saw her cousin Michelle waving her arms. A buxom brunette with a love of color she stood out, even without waving her arms and screaming.

"Yoo hoo Amy! Aunt Sandy." Michelle yelled, jogging over to them with her hands over her breasts to keep them from spilling out.

"Hello Michelle." Sandy said to her niece, eying her disapprovingly. Sandy had never been fond of her nieces style. This day she was wearing a neon purple low cut dress, a long black jacket, and tall boots.

" I thought I was going to be late." Michelle said, panting from her jog.

"Just in time." Amy said to her.

"I know! Lucky too because I was out late last night. I overslept this morning." She said.

"Having fun I hope." Amy said sarcastically. She really had no desire to hear about her cousin's life.

"I went out with friends, nothing too special. We went to this little dive called Pete's tavern. There was this great artist playing."

"Sounds like fun." Amy said.

"Oh I wish I knew you were in town. I would have invited you." Michelle said to her lying. Her mother had told her about her cousin being in town. There was no way she was going to spend an evening with her stick in the mud cousin. Now with the tall drink of water standing beside her cousin maybe, she thought, turning her attention to Sheldon.

"So who is this handsome man you are clutching on to Amy?" She asked, looking him up and down.

"This is my boyfriend, Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Sheldon, my cousin Michelle." Amy answered, squeezing Sheldon's hand just a little tighter. She could see the way her cousin was eying Sheldon up and down. There was no way she was going to allow Michelle to steal her boyfriend.

"Doctor huh? A doctor doctor or one like Amy?" Michelle asked. She thought he was very good looking and couldn't believe he would want to be with someone like her cousin Amy.

"Well not exactly like Amy but I am a theoretical physicist at Caltech University. Amy is a neurobiologist." Sheldon replied.

"So not a medical doctor?" She asked.

"Not a medical doctor." He answered.

"Too bad." She said.

The group walked inside the home and into the room that they were having the party. Barbara and her son Nick, Michelle's brother, were already there with Aunt Flora. Amy also saw that Aunt Flora's other sister Virginia had also come to the party. Aunt Ginny was 80 and still lived on her own. Amy's grandmother rounded out the party.

"Amy!" Her grandmother yelled from across the room. "Get over here and bring that good looking man with you." Amy turned six shades of red but lead Sheldon over to meet her grandmother and aunts.

"Are you ready?" She whispered to him.

"As ready as ever." He kissed the side of her head.

They walked over to the three older ladies and Amy hugged each of them in greeting. Amy's grandmother gave her a big hug.

"Oh Amy, it's been a long time. And who is this you have with you?" Her grandmother asked.

"Grandma, Aunt Flora, Aunt Ginny, this is my boyfriend, Dr. Sheldon Cooper." Amy said.

"It's nice to meet you." Sheldon said. Amy's grandmother gave him a big hug.

"It is very nice to meet you. Please call me Rose. When Sandy told me Amy was bringing a gentleman with her, I must say I was a bit surprised." Her grandmother said. "Amy has made up one or two tales about having a boyfriend. I am so glad to see she can actually produce one today."

"Grandma!" Amy scolded.

"Come on now Amy. You must admit, Armand the miniature horse breeder. Does that ring a bell?" Aunt Flora said to her.

"Alright, but Sheldon is real." Amy said.

"Are you really her boyfriend?" A man's voice came up behind them saying.

"Nick!" Rose yelled. "Why would you ask such a question?"

"Come on grandma. Aunt Sandy had to pay me to take her to the prom, remember? So how much did she pay you to bring her here today?" Nick asked Sheldon.

"Not a dime." Sheldon answered. "Why would I need to be paid? I am here on my own because Amy is my girlfriend."

"I think that sufficiently answers your question." Rose said to him. "Now leave him alone." Nick walked away and over to the food table to grab something to eat.

"Thank you grandma." Amy said to her.

"You're welcome. Nick has no class. He's just jealous." Rose said. "His girlfriend couldn't make it today. Of course, it's not that great of a loss. She is a bit of a ditz." She said.

"Grandma!" Amy said laughing. "That's not very nice."

"Well I certainly don't expect him to bring home a doctor like you. But she could at least be able to hold somewhat of an intelligent conversation. Whenever she is at dinner all she talks about is the latest gossip in the celebrity world. I am not even sure she would be able to pick our president out of a line up if you asked her." She said. Sheldon started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Amy asked.

"It sounds a bit like Penny." Sheldon said.

"Sheldon! Penny knows who the president is." Amy said.

"Who's Penny?" Rose asked.

"Sheldon's neighbor and my best friend. She is dating Sheldon's roommate." Amy answered.

"So she isn't very intelligent?" Rose asked.

"She is very street smart." Amy answered her. "She just doesn't have book smarts. But she does know who the president is."

"Okay you are right but I think that is because of yours and Bernadette's influence." Sheldon said.

"I would believe that." Aunt Flora said to them. "Amy has always been the smartest in our family. I just wish she would have had an influence on her dopey cousins."

"Well they never wanted anything to do with me." Amy said.

"And I bet they regret that now." Aunt Flora said.

"I doubt it." Amy said.

The party was going very well. Amy's aunts and grandmother were very interested in Sheldon and what he did for a living. He tried to explain it to them but they had no idea what he was talking about. They told him they had the same problem with Amy when she tried to explain what she did.

"Well she does experiments on monkeys. She recently finished a study on addiction. Did she tell you that she got a new job at Caltech where she will be studying fear?" Sheldon told them. "She starts Monday."

"No she didn't." Aunt Ginny said. "Amy why didn't you tell us?"

"Well I haven't really spoken to anyone in a while. Mom knows." Amy answered.

"Congratulations. It sounds like you are doing very well. So you two will be working together then?" Rose asked them.

"Well we will be working at the same university. We work in different departments." Amy answered.

"And you aren't worried about ruining your relationship by being together all the time?" Aunt Ginny asked.

"Well it's like Amy said, we work in different departments so we won't be with each other all the time. We will just travel to work in the morning and go home in the evening." Sheldon answered.

"Do you two live together?" Aunt Flora asked.

"Oh um, no we don't. Well not yet anyway." Sheldon answered.

"We are moving in together at the beginning of June." Amy answered. "I am giving my landlord the notice when we get back. My lease ends at the end of the month." Sandy overheard the conversation.

"When were you going to tell me this information?" Sandy asked.

"Well we were going to tell you last night but…" Amy started and Sandy understood.

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"Um, we were so busy showing Sheldon pictures of a young Amy that we lost track of time." Sandy answered.

"Yes. We lost track of time." Amy stated, thanking her lucky stars her mother was a good liar.

"Oh. So you two are moving in together? That is wonderful. So I assume we will hear wedding bells soon, right?" Rose asked.

"Grandma!" Amy scolded.

"What? It's only natural that if you move in together that eventually you will get married. Amy, you aren't getting any younger. I would love to have a great grandchild and you are the closest to getting me one." She said looking over at Michelle and Nick, who were not pleased being called out.

"Grandma, I've been dating Jennifer for a year now. We are close to getting married." Nick said.

"You are no closer getting married than I am. You won't marry her. She is a play thing for you." Rose said to him.

"Mom!" Barbara said to her mother. "Nick and Jen have a very good relationship."

"Oh I am sure they do but I do question what they talk about. Nick may not be the smartest in the family but he is not stupid. I can't see them having an intelligent conversation about anything. So what do you two talk about?" She asked.

"Well um…" Nick started. "Okay we don't do a whole lot of talking. But we are very much in love." He said.

"How can you be in love with someone you can't talk to?" Sheldon asked him.

"Like you are in love with Amy?" Nick questioned.

"We talk all the time. It's one of the best things about our relationship. We communicate. We hold very intelligent debates about a lot of things." Sheldon said.

"That doesn't answer my question. Are you in love with Amy?" He asked again.

"Of course I am. I am very much in love with Amy and she knows it." Sheldon answered. "But again I ask how do you have a relationship without communication? I can't imagine not being able to talk to Amy."

"Is that all you and Amy do, talk? I get it now. Sheldon is Amy's 'boyfriend'" He said using air quotes with his hands.

"What does that even mean 'boyfriend'?" Sheldon questioned him.

"It means you don't have a real relationship. You talk. Do you do anything else?"

"Like what? We go on dates, we enjoy each other's company…" Sheldon said but Nick cut him off.

"Have you slept with her?" Nick asked, obviously realizing this guy didn't have a clue what he was asking.

"Nicholas Matthew Steward!" Barbara yelled at him. "How dare you ask your cousin's boyfriend something so personal."

"How do we know he really is her boyfriend?" Michelle suddenly jumped into the conversation.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Amy was totally embarrassed. "You are really questioning whether Sheldon is my boyfriend."

"Yes we are. You do this all the time." Michelle said. "You pretend to have a boyfriend so that we will all get off your back. So yes we are now questioning Sheldon since he seems to just love talking to you. Is that all you do?" She asked.

Sheldon couldn't take it anymore. He had been bullied as a child by his cousins and brother but never had been called a liar. He couldn't believe Amy had to deal with these two her entire life.

"That's it!" He yelled. "I won't take this anymore. You are Amy's family. How dare you question whether or not she is lying. Yes she may have bent the truth a bit in the past but you know what? I can see why. You two are obnoxious. She tells you she has a boyfriend, you don't believe her. She brings living proof she has a boyfriend, you don't believe her. I don't know how much clearer I can make this. Amy and I have been dating for almost a year. I love her. I have pretty much been in love with her since the day we met. Do we have a real relationship? Absolutely. And if you ask if that means in every sense then I will say yes." He looked at Amy. "I'm sorry I have to put our business out here but they won't believe it anyway. So do you want to know if we sleep together? Yes we do. And when we move in together in a month, she will be sleeping with me in my bed not in another room or anything like that. I can't imagine spending another day without her in my life. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I plan on spending the rest of my life proving that to her." He looked at Aunt Flora. "I am sorry I ruined your party but I think it is time for Amy and I to leave." He said. He took Amy by the hand and led her out of the home.

He dragged her to the car and stopped. Amy was out of breath. Sheldon was walking so fast.

"How dare they!" He shouted.

"Sheldon calm down." Amy said.

"No Amy I can't calm down. They insulted you to your face and you took it." He said.

"I did warn you. I told you they wouldn't believe me. I don't know why you are surprised." She said.

"I know you did but I didn't expect them to be downright cruel. I thought it would be some teasing like when I take you home. George will probably tease me a bit about having a girlfriend but they won't not believe you truly are my girlfriend. I could have punched Nick in the face."

"I'm glad you didn't." She said.

"Me too. And I am sorry I ruined your aunt's party." He said. He pulled her into a hug. "I just couldn't stand by and let them say that stuff to you. To us."

"You didn't ruin anything." They heard from behind them. They turned around and saw Rose standing there.

"Grandma what are you doing out here?" Amy asked.

"I wanted to come out here and make sure you two were okay. I am glad you didn't leave yet." She said to them.

"I'm sorry we had to leave." Amy said.

"No I don't blame you. Sheldon you really do love her don't you?" She asked.

"Very much so." Sheldon said, putting his arm around her.

"Good. Because I like you a lot. The way you stood up for Amy in there was wonderful. The moment you opened your mouth and told Michelle and Nick to stick it, I knew you were the one. Thank you for coming into my granddaughter's life. She deserves it." She said. She approached Sheldon and gave him a huge hug, which Sheldon returned.

"It isn't that hard." Sheldon said. "I just thank her for loving me, quirks and all."

"Good." Rose said to them. "Now I will let you go. Please come back and visit again. Next time, Michelle and Nick aren't invited. I promise." She said.

"Thank you, grandma." Amy said, giving her a hug. "We will call you soon." She said.

Amy and Sheldon got in the car and drove back to the hotel in relative silence. When they entered the room, Amy took Sheldon by the hand and led him to the bed. She sat him down and kissed him gently.

"Thank you." She said, kissing him again.

"You have nothing to thank me for. I will always be here for you." He said.

"I know. I just never had anyone stick up for me like you did tonight. I really appreciate it." She said kissing him again. The kissing became more intense. Sheldon gently laid Amy back on the bed. Amy spent the rest of the day showing Sheldon just how thankful she was.

**If you liked it please review. Chapter 29 will hopefully be up by next week. **


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: I am so overwhelmed by the response I have had for this story. When I began this journey almost a year ago, I never would have expected it to get this long and have this many follows, favorites and reviews. We are nearing the end of the journey. I have enjoyed this ride and I hope you have too. **

**Thanks as always to my awesome Beta, Boys3allC, for the extras and the look overs. I could not have gotten this far without all your help. You are truly the best. Check out her stories they are terrific!**

**Okay I own none of the characters you recognize, the ones you don't are all mine. **

Sunday morning, Sheldon and Amy slept a bit later than usual. Amy had been through a lot during the weekend and Sheldon wanted her to have the extra rest. When she woke up around 9:30, they packed up and checked out. Amy had talked about a restaurant her father used to take her to brunch on Sunday mornings. Sheldon was not a fan of brunch but since Amy loved it so much, he felt he could handle eating at table that had different types of food this one time. They arrived at the restaurant and it was relatively slow.

"Are you sure this place is good?" Sheldon asked Amy.

"Would I steer you wrong? It is slow because most people come after church. We beat the crowd." She told him.

"Oh well that makes sense." He said.

They were seated at a table near the back of the restaurant. Their waitress came over and took their drink order while they checked out the menu.

"I'm telling you, just get the buffet." Amy told him.

"But there is chicken and eggs on it." Sheldon whined.

"So get one or the other. No one says you have to get both. I am telling you the buffet is great." She said to him.

"Fine." He conceded. She smiled at him as the waitress came over.

"What can I get you guys today?" She asked them.

"We are both going to be getting the buffet." Amy told her.

"Terrific, you guys can start whenever you want. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you." Sheldon said to her.

While they were getting their food another couple was seated behind them. They were facing away so Nick and his girlfriend didn't realize Sheldon and Amy were there. Sheldon pointed them out to Amy.

"Oh God, I hope they don't see us." She said.

"We are seated right behind them. Luckily they are faced in the opposite direction. Perhaps they won't see us." He said.

"I hope you are right." She said.

The two sat down at the table and could hear the conversation. Sheldon and Amy sat on the same side of the table so their backs were away from Nick. They listened to the couple talking.

"So how was your aunt's party?" Jennifer asked him.

"It was interesting." Nick answered her.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked him.

"You know the only reason I went to the stupid party was because my mom told me that my cousin Amy was bringing her boyfriend. You remember I told you my Aunt Sandy had to pay me to take her to her prom, right?" He asked her.

"So because she now has a boyfriend you had to go? I don't get it." She said.

"Oh brother." Sheldon said quietly. "Your grandmother was right she is a ditz." He laughed.

"No you don't understand," Nick started. "Ever since I didn't go to that prom, she has been lying to the whole family about having a boyfriend. She even made up this guy once she told us was a miniature horse breeder. She got caught when she told us she met him at Woodstock."

"Your cousin went to Woodstock? That is so cool."

Amy laughed out loud at that. Luckily Sheldon had the quick sense to say "I am not kidding. He really said that." At the exact moment Nick and Jen turned around. They didn't recognize Sheldon and Amy from the back.

"No Amy never went to Woodstock, she lied and never had a boyfriend. So this time I just had to see for myself is this guy was really her boyfriend."

"Was he?" She asked him.

"Of course not. She paid some poor schmuck to come to the rescue again. And this time she at least had a back story. He was very adamant about how much they talked. I questioned if that was all they did and he said they went on dates."

"How long have they said they were dating?" Jennifer asked him.

"Almost a year."

"Have they slept together?"

"Well the guy said they had but I don't believe it because they were barely holding hands when they were together. Michelle and I agreed that it was just Amy pretending again.." Nick said.

Sheldon was furious. He couldn't believe after everything he had said the day before Nick and Michelle still didn't believe them.

"Sheldon don't do anything stupid." Amy warned him. She could see how upset he was.

"I won't." He assured her, taking her hand. "I do however have an idea" he said.

"I am not sure I am going to like it." Amy said, her stomach knotted with worry. This whole situation was taking away her appetite.

"Oh trust me you will." Sheldon said mischievously but just as he was about to tell her his plan the waitress come over and take Nick and Jennifer's orders. They ordered the buffet, which meant tbey would soon be leaving their table.

"Oh terrific. They are going to walk right past us." Amy said.

"That works out then." Sheldon said.

"Why?" She said. Sheldon heard them getting up and walk past them, not even looking in their direction.

"Okay so here is the plan. When we see them coming back I will kiss you. They haven't seen us and have no idea we overheard their conversation."

"And he will see you actually giving me affection! I like it." Amy said. "I say we start now so it won't look like we waited until we saw them. That might get them suspicious." Amy said to him, leaning in and tilting her face towards his.

"You just want to kiss me." Sheldon said softly, taking her face in his hand and stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"I always want to kiss you." She whispered, looking into his eyes. Sheldon leaned down and kissed her softly.

"I love you." He said, kissing her again.

"I love you too." Amy said. She then kissed him again and it felt like the room melted away. She forgot that they were in the middle of a restaurant and they are only kissing to prove something to her cousin. When he kisses her like that nothing else matters.

"Amy?" She heard. She reluctantly pulls away from Sheldon. Nick was standing there with his mouth wide open.

"Oh hello Nick." She said, looking up at him with a smirk. "What are you doing here?"

"My girlfriend and I come here for brunch on Sunday mornings." He answered.

"Hi I'm Jennifer." She said, holding out her hand to Amy.

"I'm Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, Nick's cousin." Amy said to her. "And this is my boyfriend, Cooper." She finished introducing Sheldon who shook Jennifer's hand.

"I've heard so much about you." Jennifer said to her. "But I can't say it has all been true." She glared at Nick, who was still standing open mouthed.

"Oh yeah? What did you hear?" Amy asked innocently knowing full well what Nick had just told her.

"Something about you making up having a boyfriend. I must say he looks pretty real to me." She said, eyeing Sheldon up and down.

"That's because I am real." Sheldon said to her. "I tried to tell your boyfriend that yesterday but apparently he didn't believe me."

"Well he tends to get his facts mixed up. It is very nice to meet you and enjoy your meal." Jennifer said, walking away from the table. Nick was following still trying to figure out what he had just seen. Once they sat back down, Amy let out a sigh of relief but heard from behind them, "You really thought he was faking?" Jennifer said to him. "And your grandmother thinks I am an idiot!"

"I guess your cousin believes us now." Sheldon said laughing.

"I guess so." Amy gave him another kiss. "Thank you again."

"There is nothing you have to be thanking me for. I would do anything for you."

They finished their brunch and headed back to Pasadena. The drive home was much quicker than the trip had been the previous Monday. Amy and Sheldon went over how they were going to tell their friends about the news they had learned this weekend. Sheldon also thought about calling his mother to let her know. She would love to hear from Amy's mom again.

They arrived back in Pasadena around 3:00pm. They had asked Leonard to see if everyone was free at 7 that evening. Leonard had told them that everyone was coming over and he was expected to provide dinner. Amy said she could cook since they had done a lot of eating out over their week off.

"Can you make that taco thing your mother said is so famous?" Sheldon asked her.

"We will need to go to the store then." Amy told them. "Does anyone have any allergies to anything Mexican?"

"The only allergy I know is you to avocado. And I am pretty certain you don't put that in your recipe."

"No there isn't any but we could pick up some guacamole, chips and salsa as an appetizer. I just won't eat the guacamole."

"Me neither. Don't want to send you into anaphylactic shock because I kiss you."

"You are so sweet. Although that didn't stop you ordering that hamburger a few weeks ago."

"Yes but if you recall I brushed my teeth when we got to your place so I could kiss you."

"You can always do that again."

"But what if I want to kiss you spontaneously? Then what am I going to do run to the bathroom to brush my teeth every time?"

"That would be most inconvenient. So let's get to the store. Do you remember what you need?"

"Yes, I have been making this recipe since I was thirteen, I think I know what is in it."

"What is in it, your mom never told me."

"It has ground beef, taco seasoning, refried beans, sour cream and taco sauce plus cheese. We mix it all up together and bake it for about a half hour. Mom and I always ate it with tortilla chips."

"Sounds yummy." Sheldon told her.

"It is. I don't know why I never made it before for you."

"Probably because I kept asking for spaghetti with hot dogs cut up."

"Probably."

The two stopped at Sheldon's apartment to drop off their things before heading to the store. When they got there, Leonard and Penny were sitting on the couch watching a movie.

"Hey guys how was your vacation?" Penny asked when they walked in.

"It was great. We went to the zoo, the aquarium, and to the science center. Amy tried to get me to go to the beach but I talked her out of that one. We did go to the pool on afternoon. I read while she swam."

"We also met my mom's new boyfriend and Sheldon's new fan." Amy told them.

"New fan?" Leonard asked.

"Yes, mom's boyfriend's son apparently has been following Sheldon's work for years. He talked Sheldon's ear off the first night we met him."

"Oh I bet Sheldon loved that." Penny laughed.

"He was a nice guy." Sheldon said. "He actually drove to Stanford to see our talk." He told Leonard.

"Wow this guy must really like you." Leonard said.

"It was a bit annoying actually." Amy told them.

"It actually was after a while." Sheldon told them. "I enjoyed the attention, don't get me wrong, but he did dominate my conversation."

"Anyway how was the party?" Penny said, changing the topic.

"It was interesting." Amy said.

"Why what happened?" Penny asked.

"I think we can save that story for when everyone is here." Sheldon told her. "We need to get to the store. Amy is going to make us dinner. And I would like to start some laundry before the group gets here."

"Are you sure you want to cook after vacation?" Penny asked Amy. "We can always order."

"No I want to make dinner plus what I am making isn't too time consuming. But we really do need to get to the store so it is finished in time." Amy said.

"Alright I will let you guys get going and we will talk later."

Sheldon and Amy put their things in Sheldon's room and then left for the store. When they got back Amy got to cooking the ground beef, while Sheldon went to start a load of laundry. The group arrived just before seven. The taco casserole was just going in the oven.

"Wow it smells great in here." Bernadette said as she walked in. "Are we having Mexican?"

"Yes, Amy made a taco casserole. Her mother tells me it is famous." Sheldon said.

"Well it smells terrific." Bernadette commented.

"It will be ready in about half an hour. In the meantime, I picked up some chips with guacamole and salsa." Amy said, putting out the bowls.

"So how was your vacation?" Raj asked them. He had brought Hannah with him.

"We did some fun things like the zoo and aquarium." Sheldon answered.

"Of course you did." Howard said.

"How was meeting Amy's family?" Penny asked.

"Her aunts and grandmother were very nice. Her cousins on the other hand…" Sheldon started.

"Oh did they give you a hard time?" Penny asked.

"Hard time is an understatement." Amy said.

"Why what happened?" Bernadette asked.

"Let's just say they had no intentions of believing Sheldon was my boyfriend whether he had been there or not. But Sheldon put them in their place." Amy said.

"Sheldon put them in their place? What exactly does that mean?" Penny asked.

"He told them off. He was so angry he almost told them all about our sex life."

"He did what?" Howard said, choking on his water.

"Well they didn't believe that we had a real relationship, so I set them straight. I told them when we move in together next month, it will be for real. She will be sleeping in my bed."

"Did they believe you then?" Bernadette asked.

"I thought they did but we ran into her cousin, Nick this morning at brunch."

Sheldon told them. "He was spouting off his doubt to his girlfriend. But I don't think he has any doubts after seeing us this morning."

"What did you do?" Penny asked, almost frightened to hear the answer.

"All we did was kiss." Amy explained. "He thought if Nick saw us kissing he wouldn't doubt us. And it seemed to work because Nick could barely speak when he saw us. I assume he thought Sheldon was someone I paid to come to the party, but seeing us together this morning convinced him. I just hope he tells Michelle and they leave me alone from now on."

"Well your grandmother did tell us we were welcome any time and Nick and Michelle would not be invited." Sheldon said to her.

"Yeah, like Aunt Barbara would stand for that." Amy said.

"Anyway, it sounds like Sheldon really defended you." Penny interrupted.

"He did. It was amazing. No one has ever stood up for me the way he did." Amy said, staring lovingly into Sheldon's eyes.

"Hey wait a minute," Leonard interrupted. "Did you guys just say you were moving in together next month?"

"Oh yeah, about that." Sheldon started. "We were going to tell you."

"Where do you plan on moving?" Leonard asked.

"Amy is moving in here." Sheldon stated.

"And where am I supposed to go?" Leonard asked.

"You have three months to figure that out." Sheldon said. "According to the roommate agreement I have to give three months' notice."

"Does that mean the end of August or July?" Leonard asked since Amy wasn't moving in until June.

"August." Amy answered. "It is technically four months since he is letting you know now."

"But the sooner the better." Sheldon stated.

"Sheldon!" Amy yelled at him. "That is no way to talk to your best friend."

"You are right. I am sorry Leonard. You take all the time you need." Sheldon said.

"Amy can you move in tonight?" Leonard asked and the group laughed at this.

"She is staying. She starts at Caltech in the morning." Sheldon said, totally missing the joke. "She just has to give her landlord notice."

"Do you think he has an apartment available?" Leonard asked.

"I can ask him." Amy said. "I don't know if there is a waiting list or not."

"Thank you." Leonard said.

Dinner was served and everyone really enjoyed the casserole.

"Your mom was right, this is delicious." Sheldon said to her.

'It really is." Penny agreed.

"Thank you." Amy said, blushing.

Sheldon and Amy had agreed to wait until after dinner to let the group know about the bombshell they had learned about. Once all the dishes had been cleared, Sheldon began to speak again.

"So Amy and I learned something very important this weekend." Sheldon stated.

"Yeah who is Samuel Keller?" Leonard asked, remembering Sheldon's call from Friday night. He had said they would explain when they got back.

"My father." Amy answered.

"Your father?" Penny asked. "I thought he was dead."

"My dad is dead. Samuel Keller is my biological father." Amy said.

"I'm confused. What do you mean your biological father?" Bernadette asked.

"I found out this weekend that my mother was married before she was married to the man I called dad. That man she was married to before was my biological father." Amy answered.

"Oh Amy that must have been hard to handle. Why did she tell you now so many years later?" Bernadette asked.

"Because I recognized her." Sheldon said.

"You recognized her? I don't understand." Penny said.

"Her mother showed me pictures of Amy as a child but she only had ones from when Amy was four and older. She told me the others had been lost in a move. When I saw the first one, I immediately recognized the little girl in the photo." Sheldon answered.

"Are you saying you knew Amy when she was a little girl?" Leonard asked, beginning to understand where this conversation was leading.

"Yes." Sheldon answered. "She hadn't changed in the year since I had seen her."

"But how did you know her? The only friend you ever told us about was a little girl named Samantha." Leonard said.

"Exactly." Sheldon replied.

"So you are saying that Amy is Samantha?" Bernadette asked.

"She is." Sheldon said. "Her mother confirmed it."

"How is that even possible?" Penny asked.

"Well it was a long story but my mother left a very bad marriage and moved back home. She then got back together with my dad, whom she had dated in high school. They married within six months. He legally adopted me and the rest is history." Amy told them.

"But that doesn't explain why your name is now Amy." Penny said to her.

"In order for my father not to find us, my mom changed our names. She uses her middle name now. She had apparently wanted me to be named Amy Farrah when she was pregnant with me but my father wanted a junior and since I was a girl I became Samantha Jo." Amy told them.

"Wow. That must have been hard to swallow." Penny said to them. "How do you feel about all this, Amy?"

"I was angry at first but then I realized my mom was trying to protect me. My father was an abuser. She left him and never looked back. My dad was a wonderful man. He loved my mom and me, even knowing I wasn't biologically his. I can't stay angry about that."

"That is a good attitude." Bernadette said. "I just think it is amazing that you guys found each other after all this time. So Sheldon you never even had a clue she was Samantha?"

"To be honest, when we stopped seeing each other at the beginning of our relationship, I told my mom she reminded me of Samantha. But how would I have known she had her name changed? I am so glad we found each other though. It's like it was meant to be." Sheldon answered.

"You don't believe in fate." Leonard stated.

"You're right I don't. But I am not sure how to explain how this happened." Sheldon said.

"I can tell you." Raj said. "We put your name in a dating website and it spit out Amy Farrah Fowler. Then we had to bribe you to go and meet her."

"Yes but I could easily have said no." Sheldon said. "Something drew me to the prospect of meeting her."

"Yeah a drawer full of dirty magazines." Howard laughed.

"There was that." Sheldon said.

"Anyway," Amy said, trying to forget what Howard just said, even if she already knew about them. "We found each other and that is all that matters. If it was fate or a coincidence I don't care. Sheldon has agreed to tell me about our times together and I can't wait to hear about them. Maybe it will trigger some memories."

"That is so sweet." Raj said, tearing up.

"I am so happy for the two of you." Penny said.

"Thank you." Sheldon said.

The gang spent the rest of the night talking about the rest of the vacation. The guys had a good laugh about Dave and his being such a fan. The girls were really impressed that Amy got Sheldon near a pool. The group left around ten. Leonard went to spend the night at Penny's which left Sheldon and Amy alone.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Sheldon asked her as they got ready for bed.

"A little but I can't wait to start this study." Amy told him.

"I am sure you are going to do great." He said.

"I hope so."

"I know so." He told her.

"Thank you." She said. She leaned over and gave him a long kiss.

"Anytime. Now let's get some sleep. You have a long day tomorrow."

"You are right as always. Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you too."

**So next chapter we will begin Amy's career at Caltech. Who will she meet? And how will it affect her relationship with Sheldon?**

**Reviews help me write faster. **


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Okay it seems I keep saying this but I apologize once again for the delay. Real life has caught up with me. It is nearing the end of a quarter where I work and grades and tests must be given. I had hoped to finish this during my spring break but I just couldn't get the motivation to work on it. But now that it is done, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. We are nearing the end of our story with probably one chapter left, maybe two. This chapter is not Beta'd so forgive my mistakes. **

**Do keep my Beta in your thoughts, Boys3allC is going through a rough time and all positive thoughts are welcome. **

**Now on with the chapter. **

Monday morning Amy woke up earlier than usual. As much as she looked forward to this new journey in her career, she couldn't help but feel nervous. She had been working at UCLA for almost ten years. When she was applying for graduate school, UCLA and Caltech had been at the top of her list. She was tired of the east coast and the cold winters. She wanted to be back in California, close to her mother and where it was warm most of the year. UCLA was always her first choice so when they accepted her along with a part-time job, she readily agreed. It had been a wonderful experience, one that she knew she was going to miss if she stayed on at Caltech. She knew she would have no problem with the study she was being tasked to do, but she still wondered if she was doing the right thing. If she had been asked a year ago if she would have ever thought about changing jobs, she would have said no. She loved UCLA and she assumed she would be there her entire career. So much had changed in the last year though. She had gone from social pariah to social butterfly in the matter of a year. She had more friends then she could ever have imagined and she had the man of her dreams. Well at least that is what she told anyone who would ask. A year prior, she had no desire whatsoever to be in any kind of relationship. It had been a forced obligation she did for her mother. She never would guessed it would have turned out so wonderful. Eleven months later and she was already making plans to move in with this wonderful man who was currently sleeping beside her. She had so much to thank Sheldon for doing for her but mostly just for loving her. And apparently after this week, she realized that she had been loved by him for a long time.

The bombshell of her paternity rocked her world. She loved her dad more than anything even though he died when she was young. He had done everything for her and with her. She was shattered for a long time after his death. Her grades suffered that year in school. She was almost held back but the school knew she could do the work and passed her on. She had been on the fast track to graduate really early, much like Sheldon, but she got behind for a couple of years. She still graduated two years early but she would have completed at thirteen if she had not fallen behind. As she watched Sheldon, she began to wonder what her life would have been like had she never left Texas. Would she and Sheldon remained friends even as they got older? Was Sheldon correct in saying to her they could have already been married? She never would know these things thanks to her biological father, a man she could not remember. He took away that chance of a lifelong friendship and possibly more because of his selfishness. She could never forgive a man like that and she was grateful she didn't remember him. She hoped never to meet him. She had been so upset with her mother when she first found out but after talking and listening to her mother's story she was relieved her mother did what she did to protect her. She thought back to her dad and realized that Jerry Fowler never held it against her mother that Amy was not his. He treated her as if she was his very own and loved her dearly. Amy was so lucky. She had the best dad ever who treated her like a princess and now she had a boyfriend who treated her the same way. She leaned over and kissed Sheldon on the cheek. The movement made him stir. He opened his eyes slowly and saw Amy watching him.

"Good morning?" He questioned, realizing it was still dark outside.

"It's very early, go back to sleep." She whispered.

"Why are you awake?" He asked sleepily.

"Just a little nervous." She answered him.

"About what?" He asked again.

"I'm not sure to be honest. I guess a bit about my new job."

"Why? You are going to be great. What are you worried about?"

"I am not worried. I know I can do the job. I just wonder if I did the right thing leaving UCLA."

"Is this because we are going to be working together and living together?" Sheldon asked, a bit concerned.

"Why would you ask that? Are you having second thoughts about this arrangement?" Amy asked a bit panicked. She loved the idea of working with Sheldon. It was one of the reasons she applied in the first place. She was certain they had already worked out the issues that could come up.

"Absolutely not. I can't wait to be able to go to work with you every single day, have lunch in your lab or my office, eat in the cafeteria together, take breaks together and then come home with you every single night. So if the living arrangements and working together isn't the issue, what is the problem?" He asked seriously, now way more awake.

"This is a big step for me in my professional career. When I took the job at UCLA ten years ago, I never imagined leaving. I figured I would be there for my entire career."

"Really? What if you were given the opportunity to do research on say Capuchin monkeys in their natural habitat? Would you have turned that down?" Sheldon asked her.

"I guess I never thought about it. I would have probably jumped at that kind of an opportunity."

"So what is different now?" Sheldon asked her.

"It's just…" She started but she didn't know what to say. She knew she was being silly. Many people change jobs during their lifetimes. She was no different than anyone else. She was following an amazing opportunity. "I don't know. It is kind of nerve racking thinking about working with new people. I had a hard time at UCLA. Hannah was really my only friend. What if the new people I work with are the same at Caltech?"

"Well you already have friends at Caltech. You have Leonard, Raj, Howard and most importantly me. Even if no one else in your new department becomes your friend, you have us."

"You are right. I do have you." She leaned in to give him a kiss. Sheldon quickly deepened the kiss. Any thought of the two of them going back to sleep was gone as they very slowly and gently made love that morning. After, the two took a shower and continued to get ready for their day. They drove to work in relative silence as Amy was still a bundle of nerves for her first day.

Sheldon walked with her to her new lab. He could feel her hands getting sweaty and she was shaking.

"Relax." He told her squeezing her hand in his. "You will be fine. You are not the same person you were when you started your job at UCLA. You are going to knock them dead."

"I know. Thank you."

"Now get in there and show them how it is done." He said to her. He gave her a quick kiss and started walking away. He then turned and said to her. "I will meet you here for lunch at 12:30. I love you. You will be great."

"I love you too. You don't have to come get me, I know where the cafeteria is." She said.

"Nonsense. I will be back." He said. And with that he walked away towards his office.

Amy had just put her hand on the door to walk into her new lab when she heard a voice calling her name from behind her. She turned and saw Hannah walking swiftly to catch up.

"Good morning Hannah!" Amy said enthusiastically. "I trust you had a good time over your vacation week. I was sad that you couldn't join us last night for dinner. How are you and Raj doing? He didn't say anything just so you know."

"Well now that was a lot to say in one breath. Las Vegas was fun. Raj and I went out twice while you were away. I am not really sure about him. He can be very romantic but then he keeps questioning me about who else I am seeing."

"He does? You aren't seeing anyone else are you?" Amy asked her seriously.

"No not at all. I can barely handle one relationship at a time, let alone two. Raj has told me he can't believe that I didn't have a boyfriend. He even implied he would be okay just being the 'other man'" Hannah said.

"Oh my God. I will talk to him. I can't believe he said that to you."

"Yeah well anyway, we should get inside before they think we aren't coming." Hannah told her.

"Right. So are you nervous?" Amy asked her as she opened the door to the lab.

"A little but I at least know one person I am working with so that is comforting." Hannah told her.

"I feel the same. I am so glad they let me bring you along for this ride. And who knows, this could lead to a job for you when we finish the study." Amy said.

"That would be great." Hannah said.

The two walked into the lab and looked around. It was beautiful. It had all the equipment they would need for their study.

"This is truly amazing!" Hannah exclaimed. "It is better than our old lab."

"Oh I am so glad to hear you say that." A voice from behind them said. The two women turned and saw President Seibert standing with two other people.

"Oh good morning President Seibert." Amy said upon seeing the man. "This enthusiastic young woman is my assistant, Hannah Robinson." She said, introducing Hannah to him.

"Very nice to meet you. Now this is Dr. Hugo Gunderson and Dr. Lillian Hopkins. They will be working with you on the fear study with you."

"It is very nice to meet you." Amy said, shaking hands with them. They smiled at her.

"Now I trust you will find everything you need here and don't hesitate to call if you need anything." President Seibert told them.

"Thank you." They said to him.

"Great then I will leave you to get to know each other then." He said.

President Seibert left the foursome to their own devices.

"So what shall we do first?" Dr. Gunderson asked.

"Why don't we get to know each other a bit?" Dr. Hopkins said.

"Agreed." Hannah said.

"Okay." Amy agreed.

"So who wants to go first?" Hannah asked.

"Why not you." Amy said.

"Okay so…." Hannah began her story. They each told a little bit themselves. Amy learned that Dr. Gunderson was from Stockholm and Dr. Hopkins and he had met when she was studying there. She had recruited him to Caltech on the behest of their department head at the time. He had been excited to come and work with the team at Caltech. Dr. Hopkins had been at Caltech for twenty years. She came from Boston after working at Harvard for two years.

"I went to Harvard for my undergraduate degree." Amy told her.

"And let me guess moved to Los Angeles because the weather was terrible." Lillian asked her.

"Well yes and no. While I admit the weather in the winter is not great, I am originally from California, well actually Texas but I spent most of my life in California so Massachusetts was a bit of a cultural shock."

"Texas?" Hannah asked. "I thought you were born and raised in California."

"It's a long story but yes I found out last week I was born in Texas, Houston to be exact." Amy answered.

"Isn't that where…" Hannah started but Amy cut him off. She wasn't sure she needed her new colleagues to know about her father quite yet.

"Yes. I will explain later." Amy told her, giving her a look that told her to drop the subject. Hannah caught on quickly.

The four of them began setting up schedules to keep track of their data. Before they knew it, lunchtime had arrived.

"Shall we go to the cafeteria?" Dr. Hopkins suggested.

"Yes." Both Hannah and Dr. Gunderson agreed.

"Let me send a quick text and I will catch up with you." Amy said. She wanted to let Sheldon know that she could meet him there and to not bother coming to get her.

_We are finished a few minutes early and heading to the cafeteria now. No need to come get me. –A_

She waited a few minutes for him to reply.

_Okay that works. I am actually running a little late. See you there. –S_

Amy left the lab and went to catch up with her colleagues. As she was rounding a corner, she literally ran into a very large man. She was beginning to think she needed to slow down when walking around corners.

"Oh I am so sorry." The man said to her.

"It's fault. I was walking quickly." Amy answered.

"Don't worry about it. I'm Bert." He said to her.

"Oh I am sorry. My name is Amy. And I am now late." She quickly added looking at her watch. "Listen it was nice to meet you."

"Maybe I will see you later." Bert said to her.

"Maybe. Goodbye." Amy said, walking quickly away from him. She made her way to the cafeteria and found her colleagues sitting together at a table. She looked around and didn't see Sheldon so she went to join them.

"I really have to start walking slowly" She told them as she sat down. "I quite literally walked into someone on my way here."

"Let me guess, Kripke." Hannah said. She had heard a lot about the incident with Kripke.

"Actually no, his name was Bert. He was a really tall man."

"Oh you are talking about Bert Walters from the geology department." Lillian told her.

"I guess so." Amy said. "Well anyway, that is why I am late. I see Sheldon hasn't arrived yet."

Just as she said that, he walked up behind her.

"Did I just hear my name?" He asked, pulling up a chair to sit down with her.

"I was wondering where you were." Amy said to him, smiling.

"Leonard came to me with an idea he had about super fluid helium and once the idea got in my head I had to do the math. After lunch, we are planning to work on a paper together about it. This one really has potential." Sheldon told her.

"Sounds promising." Amy said to him. "Anyway, let me introduce you to my new colleagues."

"Well Dr. Hopkins and I have met at a fundraiser before." Sheldon told her. "It is good to see you again Lillian."

"Nice to see you too, Sheldon. How do you know Dr. Fowler?" She asked him.

"Sheldon and I have been dating for almost a year." Amy answered for him. "And this is Dr. Hugo Gunderson, from Stockholm."

"Oh I do love a good Swedish meatball." Sheldon said, laughing. Amy just stared at him in shock. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to offend you Dr. Gunderson."

"No offence taken. I love our meatballs too." Dr. Gunderson laughed with him.

They enjoyed a nice lunch together. Sheldon left early to start work on the paper. He was very excited about the prospect.

At the end of the day, Sheldon sent a text to Amy telling her that Leonard would be driving her home since they were working on the paper and just about to send it to the pre-print server. Amy told him she had to head to her apartment to pick up her mail and a few other things she had left there. It worked out for the best that he had to stay later. When she arrived at Sheldon's she got a chance to hang out with Penny.

"So things with you and Leonard seem to be going well." Amy commented to her.

"They are." Penny answered. "He is a great guy."

"So what are you going to do when he moves out?" Amy asked.

"Well I have been thinking about that a lot since you told us last night you were moving in with Sheldon. I mean, he has been spending the majority of nights here anyway…." Penny said.

"Are you thinking about asking him to move in with you?" Amy asked excitedly.

"I was thinking maybe we could do a trial run for a month. This way if it doesn't work out, then he can still have three months to find a place of his own."

"So you are going to ask him when?" Amy asked her.

"I already did last night. And he agreed. He was going to let Sheldon know today."

"Well they came up with this idea and are working hard on a paper so he may not have had the chance yet."

"Maybe he will tell him on the way back from work."

"Maybe. So tell me, how was your first day?" Penny asked.

"It was great. My colleagues are really terrific. I don't know what I was worried about. I guess old habits die hard. I never really made any friends at UCLA with the exception of Hannah. But she is technically my employee."

"That is true. Well I am glad you like the people you work with. It would really suck if you didn't." Penny told her. "Trust me I know."

"I agree."

"So how are you about the other thing?" Penny asked.

"You mean about what we learned from my mom?" Penny nodded. "She gave me a lot to think about but I think I am okay with it. I mean she did it for my protection."

"Wow that is very open thinking. I don't know if I could have handled that kind of information. I mean to find out your father isn't your father."

"No my dad wasn't my father. He was still my dad though. Just because he wasn't blood related to me doesn't mean he loved me less. Actually the more I think about it the more I believe he loved me more because I wasn't his."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to imply he wasn't really your dad. I was just saying I don't think I could handle it."

"It was hard to hear at first but after some thought, I couldn't stay mad at my mom for long. She really just did it for my best interests. The only thing I think I would like to know is if he is still in Texas or if he has moved back to California. When Sheldon and I saw a picture of him, we thought he looked familiar, almost like we had seen him before."

"Well Sheldon has seen him before." Penny pointed out. "Do you think maybe he just thinks he has seen him since?"

"But I thought I had seen him too." Amy told her.

"Oh. Where?" Penny asked.

"At Caltech. Sheldon swears he is a janitor but I just thought he looked familiar. We checked with Leonard, there was no one with his name working there though." Amy answered.

"Do you think that he changed his name?" Penny asked.

"I guess it is possible. My mom did it. But why would he?"

"Maybe he wanted to get close to you and it was the only way without letting your mom know he was in the area."

"I suppose so. Well I didn't see anyone today that looked like him but I did run into this really big guy that works in the geology lab. He was really nice about it though unlike when I ran into Kripke."

"Well I am glad you had a good day and you are making new friends. You have come a really long way from that first night when you and Sheldon tried to figure out how many men you have slept with." Penny laughed.

"Well since meeting you the number has gone up to 32." Amy laughed.

"Amy! You know I haven't really slept with 32 men!" Penny started laughing. The two were laughing really hard when the guys walked into Penny's apartment.

"You guys seem to be having a good time." Leonard said, walking in and greeting them.

"Yeah what's so funny?" Sheldon asked.

"We were just discussing the first time I met Amy and how the two of you came up with me sleeping with 31 different men." Penny told them.

"Say what?" Leonard said.

"Oh well we were just having some fun. I never believed she slept with that many men." Amy said.

"I did." Sheldon said.

"Sheldon! You know there is no way that Penny slept with 32 men."

"32? I thought you said 31!" Leonard said.

"Well she did date that one guy when you were dating Priya." Amy said.

"What guy?" Leonard asked, looking at Penny. He had not heard of any dates that Penny had gone on.

"Oh um, well I went out with one guy for about three weeks. I asked the girls not to say anything to anyone." Penny said, giving Amy a nasty look. Amy looked apologetically at her. She didn't realize Penny hadn't told Leonard about him.

"Did you sleep with him?" Leonard asked.

"Sheldon I think we should give them some privacy." Amy suggested.

"You're right." Sheldon said.

"No there is no need. I don't care that you know now." Penny said pointedly. "No I did not sleep with him. I just hung out with him for a while. He was fun but he was really stupid, almost as stupid as Zack but not quite. Trust me I know because I went out with him a couple of times while we weren't together also." She admitted.

"I do remember when you dated him again. It was right around the holidays. I am not mad about you dating someone else, not that I would have a right to anyway. You and I weren't together and I was with Priya."

"Thank you. It didn't mean anything. Like I said he was really stupid. Being with you has made me see just how stupid the guys I used to date were."

"Awwww." Amy said.

"Okay so no one is mad, so let's go eat." Sheldon said.

The four of them went over to 4A and enjoyed dinner together.

"So how did the paper go?" Amy asked.

"Oh well we posted it to the pre-print server just before we left. I guess we will wait and see but Leonard's idea was stellar." Sheldon said.

"Thank you." Leonard said.

"You're welcome." Sheldon said.

"So could this really go somewhere?" Penny asked.

"I have no idea. Like Sheldon said, we will have to wait and see." Leonard answered.

"Did you get a chance to tell Sheldon about our arrangement?" Penny asked, quietly.

"What arrangement?" Sheldon asked.

"I hadn't gotten that far. Well Sheldon, since you and Amy are basically living together now and she is permanently moving in next month, Penny and I thought we could try living together for the next month and if it works, I won't have to look for anything new. If not then I can start my search and still have three months to look." Leonard told him.

"Oh that sounds wonderful. I am really happy you guys are back together. I knew this would happen eventually and I hope you guys work out." Sheldon said. Penny looked at him in shock. "What?" He asked.

"I just remember a few years ago, you telling me it was for the best that we weren't together then telling me to get back with him when he dated Leslie. Then telling me to stay away when he was with Stephanie. And then again begging me when he was Priya. I guess you really have changed him Amy."

"She has." Sheldon said, smiling at Amy. Sheldon knew how much he had changed in the last year and he was happier than ever. He couldn't wait to go to San Francisco and ask her to spend the rest of his life with him.

**So next chapter will be a bit more of Amy's work and possibly Bert, a little angry Sheldon will be fun. Also I have some ideas about Amy's father and I am not 100% sure I will be bringing him in or not. IF I do this will be more than one more chapter.**

**Reviews...I love them. Write them, I won't promise you that they make me write faster. **


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Thanks so much for those who are continuing to follow this story over a year later. I can't believe it has been a year. We really are nearing the end but a little fun with Bert first. Okay enjoy!**

**Thanks so much to Boys3allC for your help cleaning this little piece of work up. You are the best!**

**I don't own the characters, I like to take them out to play. **

_Sheldon knew how much he had changed in the last year and he was happier than ever. He couldn't wait to go to San Francisco and ask her to spend the rest of his life with him._

Amy's first week of work flew by quickly. She and her colleagues were working very well together. Hannah fit in perfectly as well. They would spend the mornings together and split for lunch. Hannah and Amy eating with the guys while the other two ate with other members of the department. Wednesdays were going to be lunch with the team and then on Fridays Amy and Sheldon would have lunch just the two of them.

On Friday of her first week, Amy received a bouquet of flowers. She immediately sent a text to Sheldon to thank him.

_Thank you so much. They are very lovely. –A_

She went back to work and about ten minutes later received a reply from Sheldon.

_What are lovely? –S_

Amy was confused by this but thought he was just playing with her. So she sent back another text.

_How did you know lilies were my favorite? –A_

She got an instant reply.

_Well you told me on one of our dates but that still doesn't answer my question. What are you thanking me for? –S_

_ Sheldon, did you or did you not send me a bouquet of lilies this morning? -A_

_ I wish I did but sadly I did not. Why is someone sending you flowers?-S_

_ I thought they were from you so I have no idea.-A _

_ Wasn't there a note?-S_

_ Yes it said, 'Congrats on your first week.' –A_

_ No name attached? –S_

_ If there were a name we wouldn't be having this conversation. –A_

_ Fair point. I don't like it one bit. I bet they are from Kripke. I will get to the bottom of it. –S_

_ Now be nice. –A_

_ How can I be nice to someone who is clearly hitting on my girlfriend? –S_

_We don't know they are from him. –A_

_ Who else could it be? –S_

_ No idea but don't do anything rash, please. We will talk at lunch. –A_

_ Okay I won't. I love you. –S_

_ I love you. –A_

Amy immediately called Kripke, knowing Sheldon would do something rash. She sometimes liked Sheldon's jealous side but other times it was just tedious. This was one of those times. It wasn't necessarily Kripke who sent them. It could have been their friends who sent them to her. Kripke picked up the phone on the second ring.

"Barry Kripke." He said in way of answering his phone.

"Hello Barry, this is Amy Fowler." Amy said to him.

"Hi Amy. Did you change your mind about Cooper?" He asked.

"Yeah so I thought I would call you immediately." Amy said so sarcastically that she felt even Sheldon would have understood.

"Well seriously if you ever do change your mind, I am available." Kripke said.

"So you and Leslie aren't a couple anymore?" Amy asked. She wasn't surprised. Leslie did have a reputation but she thought that she and Barry were a perfect match.

"Nah, I dumped her a few months ago. It turned out she was seeing some other guy at the same time. As much as I may talk a big game, I don't like sharing."

"Eww. So anyway the reason for my call is simple. I received a bouquet of flowers this morning and Sheldon has told me they are not from him. Naturally he thinks they are from you since our encounter a few months ago. I figured I would call and ask before he comes to your office."

"Well I wish I could claim them and I am flattered that you thought of me first."

"Actually I thought of Sheldon first."

"I meant after him." Barry said.

"Well he thought you. I am sure you are going to be hearing from him at some point today." Amy told him.

"I can handle Cooper." Barry said.

"Okay then. Goodbye." Amy said, hanging up before Barry could say anything more.

Amy decided not to worry too much about the flowers. She figured her friends had sent them. She would thank them later. She set about getting to work. Just before lunch, Bert from geology walked into the lab. He had been coming by each day and talking to Amy. He would always leave her with a rock from his lab. Amy thought it was very sweet of him. Hannah told her that Bert liked her. She couldn't believe it.

"_He's just a nice guy." Amy told her after he left on Wednesday. Hannah had just told her that he liked her. _

"_A guy that brings you a pretty rock every day. Have you told him about Sheldon?" Hannah asked her._

"_It never came up. Do you really think he likes me?" Amy asked. _

"_There is no doubt that he does. I think you need to tell him you have a boyfriend."_

"_The next time he comes in I will mention it." Amy told her. _

Sheldon couldn't let things go, the thought of another man sending Amy flowers was killing him .He left his office and went straight to Kripke's. He found the man sitting at his desk on the phone.

"Kripke!" He yelled at the man.

"What do you want Cooper?" Kripke shot back. The truth was he knew exactly what Sheldon wanted as he just got off the phone with Amy.

"Why are you sending my girlfriend flowers?"

"Well as much as I would like to admit I did, I will tell you the same thing I just told Amy, I did not send her the flowers." Kripke told him.

"Oh. You spoke with Amy?"

"She just called. I told her that I was flattered she thought it was me but she was mistaken."

"Well if you didn't, then who could it be?" Sheldon asked.

"I have no idea. How about you ask your friends." Kripke suggested.

"I doubt any of them would have sent her flowers but I will ask them."

"Good now get out of my office. I have work to do." Kripke said.

Sheldon left and went back to his office. He sent text messages to his friends asking if any of them had sent Amy flowers for her first week on the job. They all responded that they had not. Sheldon was perplexed. He then asked each of the girls who told him they also had not sent Amy flowers. He had to get to the bottom of it. He couldn't allow another man to send his Amy flowers. He should be the one sending the flowers. He went back to his office and continued to work until lunch. He and Amy could figure it out who had sent them.

Meanwhile in Amy's office she had a visitor.

"Hi Amy. I wanted to show you this tourmalinated quartz that we got in the lab." Bert said to her handing her the rock.

"That's pretty." Amy told him disinterested.

"It is, like you." Bert says shyly and Amy is aghast.

"Bert ... I... Umm..." Amy stuttered. She wasn't sure what to say to him.

"So, anyway, there's this big, uh, rock and mineral show next week in Santa Monica." Bert began, changing the subject.

Amy interrupted him. "Listen, um, Bert, before you say anything else, I, I have a boyfriend."

"Oh. This is awkward. You thought I was going to ask you to go with me to the mineral show." Bert said to her.

"Weren't you?" Amy asked.

"Yeah." Bert admitted.

"That's very nice of you, but I do have a boyfriend." Amy told him again. She did not want to make the same mistakes she made with Stuart and Kripke. She wanted to let him know right away about Sheldon.

"That's what you all say. You just don't want to go out with me because I have an off-putting personality." Bert said to her.

"That is not true. Bert I really have a boyfriend. I appreciate the rocks you have given me and the flowers but like I said I have a boyfriend."

"What flowers?" Bert asked.

"You didn't send me flowers this morning?" Amy asked.

"You mean your 'boyfriend' didn't send them?" Bert asked using air quotes around the word boyfriend. This was the proof there was no boyfriend. He also looked around the room and saw no pictures of any man.

"If he did I wouldn't be asking you. And whether you want to hear it or not I have a boyfriend." Amy said. "So I don't appreciate the sarcasm. I wouldn't go with you to a rock show anyway. It sounds absolutely awful."

"Yeah well for someone who has a boyfriend you sure like to show him off."

"What does that even mean?"

"Pictures. I see absolutely no sign you have a significant other. Next time just tell men you are a lesbian. I won't be back."

"Good." Amy said. She was so angry. It was one thing for someone to hit on her. She had had it with Kripke and Stuart but to not believe she had a boyfriend was infuriating. And to think she was a lesbian. She was glad he wouldn't come back. She couldn't wait to tell Sheldon this nonsense.

Sheldon was making his way to Amy's office for lunch. On his way he saw Bert Walters from the geology department. He hated geologists because they felt that they actually studied science when all they did was look at rocks all day. He never understood them. Sheldon had gotten into more fights with them then he cared to admit. The geology lab used to be above Sheldon's office and they would constantly bicker about the sieve shakers and how often they would get used. He was so grateful when they got a grant and built a new wing near the biology wing. He would never have to see them but now he realized he would most likely run into them every once in a while when visiting Amy. He saw Bert coming up the hall and tried to avoid eye contact. But it too late, Bert saw him also.

"Oh dear Lord could this day get any worse?" Bert commented when he saw Sheldon.

"Hey look a gravel monkey." Sheldon said.

"It's about time you came down to have your head examined. The neurobiologists may figure out what is wrong with you."

"Ha ha very funny." Sheldon commented. "I am actually here to see the new neurobiologist."

"Yeah good luck with that one." He said. "I have been bringing her pretty rocks all week and finally got the courage to ask her out today. She told me she has a boyfriend. I know she was lying. There is absolutely no proof of a boyfriend. She's probably a lesbian."

"Oh I assure you she is not." Sheldon could not believe the gall of this man. Amy was as far from being a lesbian as he was. He was about to tell Bert that Amy had a boyfriend and he was looking at him when an idea came to him. He decided to have some fun with Bert and make it seem as if he was going to try to ask her out. "Why don't you come with me while I ask her out and we will see? I have been doing my share of flirting with her as well and she seems pretty receptive to me." Sheldon said. He knew Amy would love this. He could only imagine how angry she was about this guy. He did wonder why she had never mentioned a man was giving her rocks every day. He wished there was a way to give her the heads up about the plan.

"There is no way that she is receptive to you." Bert said. He could not believe the nerve of this man. "Hey wait a minute, I thought you had a girlfriend. I heard you were dating some graduate student."

"That was over almost two years ago. You really need to keep up." Sheldon answered. When he originally started his sentence, he thought he was going to figure out that they were already dating but he had only heard about Ramona. "I dumped her when she wanted to share the credit on my paper."

"So you thought you would make a play on Amy. There is no way she will agree to go out with you." Bert said to him. He thought he had heard something more recent about the obnoxious Sheldon Cooper dating someone but he was obviously mistaken.

"Would you care to make a wager on that?" Sheldon asked.

"Gladly. What are the stakes?" Bert asked.

"If Dr. Fowler does not agree to go to lunch with me then I will admit that geology is a real science and if she does agree then you will admit you just like to look at pretty rocks." Sheldon said to him.

"Deal!" Bert exclaimed. He was so happy. He knew that the pompous Dr. Sheldon Cooper was finally going to have to admit that geology was a real science. He knew there was no way that Amy would go out with a jerk like him so he was positive he would win the bet.

"Shall we go then?" Sheldon said. Just as he said that his phone beeped indicating he had a text. "Wait a second let me check this." He said looking at his phone. He smiled when he realized it was Amy.

_Where are you? –A_

_Just outside. Got waylaid by Bert Walters. –S_

_Oh God that jerk. Ditch him and get in here. I'm hungry. –A_

_Well I am bringing him. We have a bet that I can't get you to go out with me. So I need to prove to him you will. If you will agree he will admit that he just likes to look at pretty rocks. –S_

_Oh another one of our experiments. This should be fun. –A_

_Be there soon. Love you. – S_

_Love you too. –A_

"Sorry. It was my friends. They were wondering when I was coming to lunch." Sheldon said. "Shall we go see Dr. Fowler then?"

"I can't wait to hear you say that geology is a real science. Damn! I should have made you send an email alert out to the entire faculty." Bert just realized he would only be admitting it to him.

"I'll tell you what, because I am so confident that Dr. Fowler will be unable to resist my charms, if she says no, I will send that email out." Sheldon agreed.

"You really are full of yourself, aren't you?" Bert replied.

"Nope just confident." Sheldon argued. "I think you should agree to the same thing if you are so sure she will turn me down."

"I agree." Bert said. The two men shook on the bet.

The two of them walked into Amy's office and spotted her. Sheldon smiled at her.

"Dr. Fowler." Sheldon started off formally. He didn't want to give anything away right at the start of the fun.

"Dr. Cooper to what do I owe the pleasure again?" Amy answered, smiling at him.

"Oh I just thought I would come down and see my favorite neurobiologist." He flirted.

"I've only been here a week. Who was your favorite before me?" She flirted back.

"I didn't have a favorite until you came along." Sheldon answered. Bert rolled his eyes. Did he really think this was going to work? Bert thought Amy was smarter than that.

"Aren't you sweet?" Amy countered. She then looked past Sheldon at Bert. "Oh Bert, I didn't see you at first, what are you doing back here? I thought you were never coming back to see me again." She asked.

"You are right but Dr. Cooper persuaded me to come see you again." Bert said.

"Oh I see." Amy said.

"So Dr. Fowler I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to lunch today?" Sheldon asked her.

"Well you see I would really love to go to lunch with you but…" Amy started.

"Ha!" Bert exclaimed. "I knew she would never go out with you. Get that email ready Cooper."

"Well what I was going to say to Dr. Cooper was as much as I would love to go to lunch with him, I thought we agreed to stay here to eat." Amy completed her sentence. With that she walked up to Sheldon and gave him a long kiss. Bert stood looking at them with his mouth wide open.

"Oh here Bert, let me close that for you." Amy said, shutting Bert's mouth.

"So Walters about that email. Don't forget to address it to everyone on staff." Sheldon said laughing. "I told you she couldn't resist me." He continued laughing.

"You tricked me!" Bert yelled. "This was an unfair bet. I knew you had a girlfriend. You said that it was over years ago."

"Because the girlfriend, or I should say ex-girlfriend you were referring to was over years ago. I dated a young lady named Ramona Nowitski, who was a graduate student like two and a half years ago. You really need to check your facts. Amy and I have been dating for almost a year. When you asked I assumed you knew about her so the bet would never have happened. But when you mentioned a graduate student I was dating I chose not to correct you. I won this bet fair and square."

"Good luck getting me to send that email." Bert said.

"Well that is fine. It's not like I would have sent an email about geology being an actual real science. I am really not that interested in your opinion anyway. I have actually gotten much more satisfaction watching your face when Amy kissed me. Oh and by the way, don't give my girlfriend any more of your pretty rocks. Now go, I have a date with this lovely lady and you have over stayed your welcome." Sheldon said to him.

Bert started walking out, looking angrier than he ever had. He couldn't believe Sheldon Cooper had bested him. Then Amy called him.

"Maybe next time you will believe me when I tell you something." She said to him. He just kept walking. Sheldon was laughing again.

"You were brilliant." Sheldon said to her kissing her yet again.

"I know." Amy answered. "I just wish he would have believed me when I told him I was dating someone. It was very frustrating. He thought I was a lesbian."

"Yeah how come I didn't know about some gravel monkey giving my girlfriend pretty rocks all week? Oh and did he send the flowers too?" Sheldon asked.

"Please don't be angry. I truly thought Bert was just being nice. Hannah pointed out that he was flirting with me and liked me. I really didn't notice."

"How did you even meet him?"

"I literally ran into him in the hallway on Monday on my way to lunch. He introduced himself and then kept showing up every day. I just thought he was very friendly. You know I only have eyes for one guy. I didn't see his advances." Amy said sweetly.

"Well that was fun." Sheldon said.

"It really was but now I am even more perplexed about who sent the flowers. Maybe the girls sent them."

"They didn't. I asked them and neither did the guys. And why did you call Kripke?"

"Because I know you too well and I know you would go in and act foolish."

"I would not." Sheldon protested. Amy looked at him seriously. "Oh alright I probably would have but no other man should be sending you flowers."

"Well we don't know who did it. Maybe it was President Seibert." Amy suggested.

"He left on vacation on Wednesday." Sheldon told her. "Besides I don't ever remember him sending any other new employees flowers after their first week."

"Well it was just a thought." Amy said.

The two pondered for a while longer trying to determine who could have sent her flowers. By the time lunch was over, they were no closer to figuring it out then they had been before lunch. Amy told Sheldon to just forget about it and it was just someone who was trying to be nice. Sheldon wasn't so sure. But for her sake he promised he would let it go.

Later in the day, Amy received a package. Hannah brought it into her.

"Hey Amy, this just came for you." Hannah told her.

"That's weird I didn't order anything." Amy said. She looked at the package. There was no return address. "It doesn't say where it is from. Who brought it to you?" She asked.

"The janitor said it was sitting outside of the other lab and looked at the label. He saw it was meant for here and brought it over." Hannah told him.

Amy slowly opened the package. She was unsure if she should or not. First flowers in the morning and then this package with no return label. It seemed as though someone really wanted to impress her. Her heart stopped when she saw the contents of the box. Hannah noticed her face.

"Amy? What is it?" Hannah asked, concerned.

"It's a dress." Amy answered.

"What kind of dress?" Hannah was confused.

"A dress that I remember wearing when I was little." She answered, pulling the dress out of the box. A picture fell out with the dress. Amy picked it up.

"What's that?" Hannah asked.

"It's a picture of me when I was about 3." Amy answered

"And who is the boy with you?" Hannah asked.

"That's Sheldon." Amy answered. She recognized him from the photos her mother had shown him.

"Do you think your mom sent this?" Hannah asked. Amy had told her the story her mother had shared while they were on vacation.

"No I actually remember this dress." Amy said. "My mother told me it had a tear that she could not repair. So I never saw it again."

"So where did this dress and picture come from?" Hannah asked.

Amy turned the picture over. On the back there were names written.

"What does it say?" Hannah asked.

"It says Sammy Jo and Sheldon ages 3 and 4, June 1984." Amy asked.

"Who would have this picture?" Hannah asked. Her concern was growing. Amy looked pale.

"My father." Amy answered.

**Okay so sorry about the cliffhanger. Yes ****we will meet Amy's father in the next chapter.**

**If you could leave a review I would really appreciate it. **


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: I can't thank you guys enough for your patience and understanding with my updates. Many of you have said you would follow no matter how long it takes me...thank you so much. I am getting these finished as quick as possible but other ideas come to my head that I must write. This chapter took me in a direction I never expected and I hope you all enjoy it. Yes we are meeting Amy's father. I hope you like it.**

**I don't own the characters...I just like to take them out and play.**

"_So where did this dress and picture come from?" Hannah asked. _

_Amy turned the picture over. On the back there were names written. _

"_What does it say?" Hannah asked. _

"_It says Sammy Jo and Sheldon ages 3 and 4, June 1984." Amy asked. _

"_Who would have this picture?" Hannah asked. Her concern was growing. Amy looked pale. _

"_My father." Amy answered._

"Your father? Are you sure?" Hannah asked.

"I can't imagine it being anyone else." Amy said, shaking. She felt like she may throw up. How could her father have found her?

"Are you alright?" Hannah said, nervously. Amy looked even paler. She was afraid Amy might faint.

"No. I am not sure how my father could have found me. My mother changed my name, changed her name and got married. I was adopted for God's sake! How the hell did he find me?" Amy was angry and upset at the same time. She swayed a little like she was going to faint.

"Amy sit down, you don't look so good." Hannah told her. "I am going to call Sheldon."

"I don't want to worry him." Amy said, trying to convince Hannah not to call him.

"No he needs to know this." Hannah said, dialing Sheldon's number. He answered on the second ring.

"Sheldon, it's Hannah." She said to him. There was a pause while Sheldon greeted her. "No that is not the reason for my call." Another pause. "Amy got a package and she freaked at the contents. She says she knows who it is from. I think you need to come down here. Amy doesn't look so hot." She told him. She didn't have to wait long to say. "See you soon." Even if Sheldon had hung up on her.

"He is on his way." She said to Amy as soon as she hung up.

Sheldon had just come back to his office after meeting with Leonard about their paper when the phone rang. He was surprised when it showed it was coming from the biology lab.

"Dr. Cooper's office." He answered formally, in case it wasn't Amy.

"Sheldon, it's Hannah." He heard.

"Hannah, Amy isn't here if you are trying to find her." Sheldon told her.

"No that is not the reason for my call." She said with a bit of concern in her voice.

"What's wrong?" Sheldon asked her.

"Amy got a package and she freaked at the contents. She says she knows who it is from. I think you need to come down here. Amy doesn't look so hot." Hannah spit out.

"I'm on my way." Sheldon said, hanging up the phone before Hannah could answer.

Sheldon practically ran to her lab. He saw Raj and Howard on his way.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Raj asked.

"Amy got a package and Hannah said she looks ill. She thinks Amy knows who it is from." Sheldon said. "I have got to get down there."

"We will come with you." Howard told him. He sent a text to Leonard to let him know what was going on.

The three of them rushed to the lab and found Hannah sitting with Amy. It looked like Amy was crying. Sheldon rushed over to her. He pulled her into a hug and started rubbing her back.

"What happened?" Sheldon looked at Hannah.

"I ran into a janitor in the hallway on my way back from lunch. He said there was a package left over in the other lab and he wanted to know if I wanted him to bring it over to us. Obviously I said yes. When he handed it to me, it was addressed to Amy. I took to her and she told me she hadn't ordered anything."

"What was in the package?" Raj asked.

Hannah pulled the dress and picture out of the box that was sitting on the table in front of them. Sheldon took the picture from her and flipped it over.

"How did he find you?" Sheldon asked immediately. He knew the moment he saw the names on the picture who it had been from.

"Who?" Howard asked.

"Amy's father." Sheldon answered.

"I thought he was dead." Howard stated.

"I think Sheldon meant her biological father." Raj said.

"Oh yeah." Howard remembered. "Are you sure it is from him?"

"Yes." Amy said. She was still pale but she had stopped hyperventilating because of Sheldon. "I lost this dress when I was little. It is one of the few things I remember because I loved this dress. My mom told me it was ripped and when I got to a bigger size she bought me a new one. I wore it all the time. And the picture is from when I was three according to the back. Mom only has a few pictures from that time which she showed us last weekend."

"So the question remains, how did he find you?" Sheldon asked.

"I can happily answer that for you." A man answered from the door. The entire room jumped. Leonard was standing behind him looking confused. The man standing in front of them was someone they knew well.

"President Seibert?" Sheldon asked, looking around.

Amy gasped when she saw him. Sheldon looked at her then back and then realization dawned on him. They had seen the man in the photo Sandy Fowler had shown them. He was now standing right in front of him.

"Samantha, I see you got my flowers and other package." He said, looking at Amy.

"How did you know that name?" Amy asked him.

"Well seeing as how I named you, I should know." He told her.

"This is making no sense. You aren't Samuel Keller. You are Joseph Seibert."

"Very good Dr. Cooper. I obviously changed it, just like Nancy changed her name to Sandra." Seibert said.

Everyone in the room was silent, then Howard broke it.

"So this is awkward." He said.

"Do you think we could have some privacy?" Siebert asked the group.

"Oh yeah we were just going." Leonard who had just walked in said to him.

"To listen right?" Howard asked.

"No let's give them some space. How about we go to the cafeteria for some coffee." Leonard said, walking back out of the room. "We will catch up with you guys later." Howard, Raj, Leonard, and Hannah left the room.

Once everyone had left Sheldon turned on Seibert.

"So how long have you known who I was? Did you know who I was when you began working here six years ago?" Sheldon asked him.

"Well you are a bit of a rock star." Seibert said. "But to answer your question, not at first, but it didn't take long to figure out you were the same Sheldon Cooper that had been friends with my daughter when you were young."

"That doesn't explain how you figured out who I was." Amy said to him. Her voice was shaky. She had just found out about this man less than a week prior now she was meeting him.

"I've actually know for a long time who you were Samantha." He said to her.

"Please don't call me that. My name is Amy."

"Fine, then. Amy it is." He replied.

"So what do you mean by a long time?" Sheldon asked.

"Well Nancy, or should I say Sandy, sent me divorce papers about two weeks after they left me. The postmark was from California. Your mother probably didn't even think about that part of it. I didn't fight the divorce because I knew it would be futile. Besides your mother was right, I was a monster."

"What?" Amy was shocked that he was admitting this to her.

"Well I had forced her to move to Texas when she was just twenty. She hadn't even finished her degree. She was able once I started at Rice University. She was able to go for a really reduced tuition since I worked there. She hated living in the city. She grew up in Santa Barbara. I agreed that once we decided to have children we would move to the suburbs. She was pregnant with you about a year after she finished her degree. It was fine at first. She liked having the doctor's office close by but then she recalled my promise to her and we moved to Galveston. I know it seems like it is quite a commute but I took the train to work every day. It was actually a very nice commute. About a year after we moved and you were three, your mother took a part time job as a substitute teacher in the local school district. She timed it so she worked when you were in preschool. You showed great intelligence even then, but even more so once you became friends with Sheldon." He told them.

"Mom told me." Amy said. She squeezed Sheldon's hand as he smiled at her.

"Yes, well anyway, shortly after we moved, I lost my job. The university cut my position as admissions director. I became angry. I was having a hard time finding work in the area. Your mother was a saint. She got a job at the high school she had been subbing as an English teacher and I stayed home with you. I went on several job interviews but nothing ever panned out." He said.

"When did you first hit her?" Amy asked him.

"I am not proud of myself but it was after a particularly trying day with you. You were having a rough day. You refused to eat and nap and you were just all around fussy. Your mother got home from work and she was in a bad mood. Apparently two of her students decided to fight in her classroom. She looked around the living room and there were toys everywhere. She jumped down my throat about keeping the place clean. Then she asked about dinner. I hadn't had time to even think about it and told her so. Well she became more irritated and began lashing out at me about how I was doing nothing around the house to make her life easier. I told her that she had it so much easier than me being able to leave and come home with nothing to do. She then said something particularly nasty and I slapped her."

"What did she say?" Sheldon asked. "I can't imagine it could have been bad enough to warrant hitting her."

"She called me a lazy bum and then said she wished she had never followed me to Texas and implied she should have stayed with Jerry." Seibert told them.

"Oh." Amy said. She couldn't believe her mother could be so cold-hearted.

"It still doesn't excuse my behavior. I have no idea what came over me. I just slapped her across the face. I immediately regretted it."

"What did she do?" Amy asked.

"Well after I hit her, I left for a little while. It was definitely for the best. I came back a few hours later and we talked. She apologized for saying the things she said and almost admitted she deserved what I did but I wouldn't allow that. It was not her fault in any way shape or form. She was angry but I was worse. We started talking more about things. We decided to try and make the magic we had come back and it worked for a while."

"This doesn't sound promising." Sheldon said.

"After applying and interviewing for what seemed like the hundredth time, I got yet another rejection letter. Your mother was so supportive. Of course I hated that. She was trying so hard and I lashed out again. This time I punched her in the mouth. Her lip swelled up immediately. I again was so remorseful and again she forgave me. I don't know why. I didn't deserve it."

"It doesn't sound like it at all." Amy said. "What did she tell people had happened to her lip?"

"Well you hated getting your hair done and anytime you would sit in her lap to have it braided or put up in a barrette, you would squirm. Sometimes you would head butt her. So she said you hit her in the mouth and had the barrette on your head already."

"And people bought that excuse?" Sheldon asked. How could people be so blind? He thought.

"Well not everyone." Seibert told them. "George and Mary started to get suspicious."

"My parents?" Sheldon asked.

"Yes. Your mother came over to our house one day when I wasn't home and questioned Nancy. But Nancy stuck to her story, never telling Mary what really had happened."

"So my mom believed her?" Sheldon asked.

"I don't think so but since Nancy wasn't going to tell her the truth she backed off. And I didn't touch Nancy again for a few weeks." He answered him.

"So what set you off to becoming this monster that both you and my mother have said you are?" Amy asked. Her mother had made him sound evil but this just sounded like someone who needed help, not that Amy was excusing his behavior.

"Your mother got promoted to department chair at her school. She got more responsibility and more money."

"Wasn't that a good thing?" Sheldon asked, confused.

"Well it should have been but since I was already resentful she had a job and I didn't and she would then be making even more money, I was even angrier than before. She started working longer hours because she had a bit more responsibility to the school. The first night she came home late, I hit her. I didn't want her working longer hours, I wanted her home. She should have been the stay at home parent, not me. I should have taken responsibility for my family, not her. I was so angry all the time. We fought constantly. Nancy couldn't make excuses for every bruise I gave her but she blamed herself. Her friends, especially Mary, kept telling her to leave me but she wouldn't do it. She would tell people if I would get a job I would be happier. I couldn't get a job anywhere."

"Why is that?" Sheldon asked. He was curious as to why no one would hire him.

"The truth was, I wasn't a nice person."

"Well that is an understatement." Sheldon said.

"Yes Dr. Cooper, it was. I had gotten fired from Rice because I lashed out on my team quite often. I wanted only the best at our university and I would argue about some of the choices that we were admitting. I had so many complaints filed against me that they had to let me go. I told Nancy they had cut the position. Unfortunately my reputation preceded me and it was very difficult to obtain a position elsewhere. Well at least not in Texas."

"So let's not go into any of the details about the rest of this story because I know how it ends. Mom explained it all to me. So now I really need to know how you knew I was Samantha. I saw a picture of you last weekend and I didn't recognize you as my boss. I mean you look very similar but still."

"Well I have changed a bit in twenty five years. I've known about Sheldon's eidetic memory and I was afraid he may have remembered me when we first met. But his memory seemed to have failed him."

"In my defense, I hadn't thought about Samantha in a long time. I only began to think about her after I started seeing Amy. Plus you changed your name. How would I know that Joseph Seibert was the same man as Mr. Keller who lived down the street from me when I was five?" Sheldon told him.

"I guess you have a point." Seibert said to him. "Now to how I found you, Amy, as I said I knew you were in California because of the divorce papers. I know you could have moved but after careful consideration, I decided she wouldn't leave because she had family there. But before I could come find you, I knew I needed help. There would be no way your mother ever would have let me near you without it. So I moved out of the house in Galveston and sought help in Houston. Sheldon, your father helped me find a place to help me."

"Really?" Sheldon asked.

"Yes, I think part of it was so he could keep an eye on me. I think they knew where Nancy had gone.

"Mom told me you had moved out of state so Amy could go to a special school." Sheldon said.

"Well you were only five at the time. It made sense to bend the truth with you. You and Amy were thick as thieves. I can only imagine how devastated you were when she left."

"It was the worst day of my life." Sheldon admitted. Amy squeezed his hand.

"Yes, well anyway, after a year of therapy in Texas, I left and moved back to California. My therapist had given me a name of someone I could talk to out here once I was settled in my new home." Seibert continued. "But I knew I needed a new start. I changed my name also and went back to school. My last name is my mother's maiden name. I never really liked Keller. I hate to say this but I was more like my father than I care to admit. He was an abuser too. I guess I never thought about it. So I decided to change it and gain my reputation back. I went back to school and got my master's degree. I was not trying to hide from your mother. I wasn't ready to see her yet anyway. I knew I still needed more in my life. After living for two years in California and gaining my degree, I was offered a position across the country at Harvard."

"Harvard?" Amy asked, a bit shocked.

"Yes, I was offered the position of Dean of Admissions. It was a roll very similar to the one I had at Rice but with more responsibility and it could lead to bigger positions. But I knew I had to see you before I left California."

"Did you know my name then?" Amy asked.

"No but I knew who to ask." He answered. Before she could ask, he answered her question. "Your grandmother."

"And she told you?" Amy asked incredulously. She couldn't believe her grandmother would tell this man where she was.

"Well as it turns out the day I went to visit your grandmother, you were there with your parents." He answered.

"What happened?" Amy asked. Her mother had been terrified the week before when they thought they had seen him. Now she is finding out that he had visited when she was younger.

"Well your mother answered the door when I knocked. I must say I was surprised but it was nothing compared to her. The look on her face told me everything I needed to know. She had not even thought about the ramifications of me finding you two. She was petrified. She called her husband to call 9-1-1. I told her that wouldn't be necessary and that I was not there to harm them. Of course she did not believe me. Jerry came running out from the other room with the phone in his hand. He needed to know what was going on. He looked at me confused. He had no idea who I was. Once Nancy explained he was ready for a fight. I wasn't there to fight I explained. I wanted to let them know that I knew I had been wrong and that I had gotten help for my anger issues. She again didn't believe me. I told her I needed to apologize before leaving. She wanted to know where I was going and I told her I was moving across the country. I never told her where though. I asked if I could see you but she refused. I told her I understood but then you came wandering in from the living room. I got a glimpse of you. That really was all I needed. She told you to go back in the room with your grandmother and you left. I was happy I at least had seen you. I told your mother that I would never bother her again and I left. I have not seen her or talked to her since that day. That was in 1988. You were 7 as it was the summer and you weren't going to be eight until December. I walked away from the house and never looked back. I was happy just to have seen you and I could tell you were happy."

"So how long were you at Harvard?" Amy asked.

"Until 2005." He answered. "I was in charge of admissions until 2000 then I became the Dean of Students for a year. After that I was vice president of the University. In the summer of 2005, I had an interview to go back to California as Caltech was looking for a new president. Obviously I got the job and I have been here ever since." He told them.

"So you are saying that you were in charge of admissions when I went to Harvard?" Amy asked.

"I was and yes, before you ask, I knew who you were when we accepted you in 1996 at the age of sixteen. To be honest I was surprised your mother allowed you to come across the country at such a young age to go to college. She knew I was on the east coast but never knew where. Also, I never told her my new name so she may not have known the letter was from me."

"So my acceptance into Harvard was just your way of getting me close to you?" Amy asked.

"Absolutely not. I didn't make the final decisions. We did them as a team. Unlike when I worked at Rice, I listened to my team. Actually it was one of my co-workers that got your application. He brought it to the committee members' attention immediately. He told us if we didn't think you were a good enough candidate then we were all nuts. I looked at your application and knew it was you. It didn't surprise me in the least that you were valedictorian of your class and that you graduated early from high school. I was so pleased with your record I voted yes automatically. And so did the entire committee. You were accepted without question and not because I knew you were my daughter. I never told anyone."

"What about when I came here for the interview?"

"Well of course I followed your work after you left Harvard and I knew you went to UCLA for your master's and doctorate work. I then knew you were working for them and I followed your career very carefully. I have the Neuron magazine where you published the article about how a cooperative long-term potentiation can map memory sequences in dendritic branches. I was so proud of you. So when Dr. Hernandez sent the list of potential candidates from UCLA and your name was the only one on it, I felt it was fate." He told them.

"Did you know I was dating her?" Sheldon asked.

"Actually no that was a surprise the day of the interview. I knew you had dated in the past and I had heard you had a girlfriend but rumors like these go around all the time."

"About me?" Sheldon asked.

"No not always about you. So no I did not know you were dating Amy until the day of the interview when Amy tricked me into thinking she could talk you into the vacation you took last week. I must say that it doesn't surprise me you found each other. You two, like I said earlier, were inseparable. I guess fate has a way of bringing people together."

"I guess it does." Amy said. "So did you marry again?"

"I did. I met my wife while I was working at Harvard. We married in 1992. We have two children. Sam is fifteen and Jackie is thirteen."

"I have half siblings?" Amy was shocked. She had always wanted a brother or sister and now she had two.

"You do and I would love for you to meet them. My wife knows about my past. I haven't lied to her. I even told her my former name and she agreed to name our son Samuel." He told Amy.

Amy was taken aback. She wasn't sure how to process all of this at the moment. Seibert could see this in her eyes.

"Look, I know this is a lot to process so I want you to have the time to do that. I hope hearing everything you have heard doesn't change your mind about working here. I really do think you will be an asset to our team. I will leave you alone except for university business if that is what you prefer, but I would really like to get to know you and I would love for you to get to know your brother and sister."

"Thank you." She said. "I will think about all you said and get back to you. I don't want to leave this job and I appreciate that you will stay away unless I ask to see you. I just need time to process." Amy told him.

"You take all the time you need." Seibert said. "I am going to go now. Call me anytime. You know what why don't you two take the rest of the day off.

"I think that is a good idea." Sheldon said. "Thank you sir."

"Have a good weekend." Seibert said. He walked out of the lab and headed back to his office.

After he left, Amy broke down crying. Sheldon wrapped his arms around her and just held her. She pulled away after a few minutes and looked at him.

"I can't believe what just happened." Amy said. "Did we not just find out about my biological father and now he shows up. And he is my boss? This can't be real. I must be dreaming."

"Well then I am having the same dream. I knew he looked familiar when I saw that picture last week. How come I didn't realize it was Seibert?" Sheldon was chastising himself.

"Well twenty-five years is a long time and he has changed a bit. Plus with a different name, how would you know?" Amy told him.

"What are you going to do now?" Sheldon asked her.

"Well first I want to go home and take a long hot bath. I need to relax. Then I may have to call my mother and ask about her seeing my dad and find out why she didn't tell us that piece of information last week. Then I want to just spend a nice weekend with my boyfriend and not think about this for a bit."

"You know our friends are going to want to know."

"They can wait. I just need some time."

"Whatever you want to do." Sheldon told her. "Shall we go home then?"

"Yes." Amy said.

Sheldon sent a text to Leonard telling him that they were leaving for the day and to not worry. He told him that Amy needed time to process and would explain everything eventually but now was not the time. He held out his hand to Amy and they walked out the door and to her car.

**Okay I hope you like this twist. It for some reason spoke to me. I hope Sheldon not recognizing him because of the time and his name change seem feasible. **

**If you liked it please leave me a review. I live for my reviews. **


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Hello everyone! I am back! I am so sorry this has taken so long to update. I had the worst case of writer's block after dropping a bombshell about Seibert. I wanted to explain Amy's thoughts properly and I had a hard time getting it just the way I wanted it. So finally after almost two months here it is. I hope you enjoy. I feel this story is coming to an end. I may write a sequel with what Amy does with Seibert. We may find out but not actually happen here. **

**I want to thank my awesome Beta, Boys3allC, for helping add and subtract things and making it sound pretty. You are the best!**

**So here are my disclaimers...I wish I owned this awesome show but sadly I don't...all credit goes to Bill, Chuck and Steve.**

Amy's head was swimming with information. Seibert was her father. She had siblings. Her mother had seen him and she knew he was on the east coast. Amy had learned so much in such a little bit of time, she wasn't sure what to think anymore.

It felt like the only constant she had in her life was Sheldon. They walked to her car. Amy held onto his hand tightly, never wanting to let him go. At a time when she wasn't sure what was true and what was false, the weight of his hand in hers was something tangible to anchor herself. When they got to her car, she reluctantly let his hand go. She fumbled opening the door because her hands were shaking so much.

"Give me the keys." Sheldon said to her in a steady calm voice.

"I'm okay." She told him with more certainty than she felt.

"You're not." He told her sternly holding his hand out. Amy reluctantly handed him the keys. Sheldon opened the doors, holding the passenger side door open for her.

"Really Sheldon, I am fine. You don't have to drive." Amy told him knowing how hard it was for him.

"I know I don't have to. There are very few things in the world I have to do. However I am going to drive." He told her brushing the hair back from her face.

"It's so far. I will be fine." Amy protested.

"You're in no condition to drive right now" Sheldon said, pulling out his wallet. "Besides, the state of California doesn't just give these things to people." He said giving her an impertinent look, holding out his license.

"In your case they may have." Amy said, laughing, recalling the day she took Sheldon to get his license and the nonsense he put his tester through.

"That is not true!" He said scandalized. "I took the road test just like everyone else and I passed. I am driving, no more arguments." He said sternly. Amy got into the car without further arguments.

The drive home took a bit longer than usual. Sheldon was still not one hundred percent comfortable with driving. He didn't want Amy to find out. They managed to make it there without any incidents and walked up to the apartment.

"How about I start a bath for you?" Sheldon asked her.

"That would be great." Amy said, collapsing on the couch.

"I'll call you when it is ready." He said as he kissed her gently on the forehead. "You just relax."

"Thank you." She said gratefully as he walked to the bathroom.

Sheldon began running the bath. Watching the tub fill, he felt like he could fill the tub with his thoughts alone. There was so much on his mind. Sheldon couldn't even begin to imagine how Amy was feeling. To just find out about her birth father was bad enough. Then to find out he was also her boss was more than anyone could take.

As much as he wished he could control the situation, fix everything and make it better, Sheldon knew all he could really do was be there for her, support her as she made her decisions. Amy had so much to consider. He wondered if she would she want to meet her siblings? If she did how would they treat her? He couldn't even fathom how she could make these decisions. How much time she would need to think about it all. The tub was almost full and he hastily shut off the water. He had been so lost in thought he almost overfilled it.

"It's ready." he called to her. She walked in dressed in her just her robe. What he really wanted to do was pull the robe off her then sink in the bath with her and hold her close. He knew she needed her time alone. He walked out and left her to her thoughts.

Amy sunk into the warm water. It felt amazing to be buried in the water, the warmth surrounding her. She hadn't realized how stressed she really was. It felt like every bone in her body ached. She had no idea what she was going to do. Did she want to meet her half siblings? She wasn't sure. She had so much to think about but she knew she wouldn't be pressured into making the decisions quickly. Sheldon wouldn't pressure her and Seibert had said to take all the time she needed. He promised he would only talk to her about work if she decided to stay at Caltech. Of course she was going to stay. She loved her new job and it had only been a week. The study was one she had been looking forward to for over a month. She couldn't just leave it.

Amy reluctantly got out of the bath after the water turned cold. When she got out she felt very cold and she wrapped her robe around herself. Amy heard Penny in the living room. She wasn't sure if she wanted to face her. She quickly darted back to Sheldon's room to get dressed. The bed looked so enticing though. She thought she would just close her eyes for a moment and clear her head before heading out to face her best friend. Her head hurt thinking about explaining everything again.

The guys had all heard the news and there was no doubt they went home and told the girls so everyone knew President Seibert was her father. She didn't want to deal with all the questions. She hadn't even begun to think about what she would do so Penny and Bernadette hammering her with questions was the last thing she needed. She drifted off to sleep.

Sheldon went back out into the living room while Amy was in the bath and found Penny sitting on the couch.

"Where is Amy?" She asked him.

"Why hello Penny, so glad to see you still just walk right into my apartment. Make yourself at home." He said sarcastically.

"Oh shut up." Penny said to him. "Now where is she?"

"She is taking a bath." He answered her. "I am not sure she will be up for company when she comes out though."

"Is it true?" She asked.

"I am not sure what you are talking about." Sheldon said.

"Do you not think Leonard would not tell me right away that Seibert was Amy's father? So I ask again, is it true?"

"Ah yes, news travels fast in this group, I must have forgotten." Sheldon said.

"Geez when did you get so good at sarcasm?" Penny asked.

"I don't know but to answer your question, it appears to be true. Seibert knew an awful lot about Amy's early childhood and had the dress and a picture." He answered. "He is her biological father."

"How did she take the news?"

"How do you think?" Sheldon asked.

"Is she okay?" Penny asked, closing her eyes and trying something else.

"I am not sure. She learned a lot today. Hell, I learned a lot today." Sheldon said.

"How do you feel?" Penny asked him.

"Well it is so confusing. I mean I knew the man too."

"How come you didn't recognize him? I would think with that memory of yours, you would have known him."

"Well it has been twenty-five years and he did change his name. I thought he looked familiar when I saw a picture of him last week when we were at Amy's mother's house. Even Amy thought he looked familiar."

"Wow. I mean this is just crazy. First she finds out that the man she knew as her dad all her life turns out not to be her biological father and a week later she finds out her boss is that man." Penny said.

"I don't think Seibert knew she had just found out about him. He may have thought her mother would have told her by now. I mean she is thirty."

"You know what? He is lucky she even knew. Her mother went through a lot to make sure she got away from him. I don't think her mother ever meant for her to find out." Penny pointed out.

"Actually it was only a matter of time since I knew her as a child. She as much as said so last week." Sheldon pointed out.

"And Seibert knew you were dating. He was aware that you knew each other as children."

"We never told him that. I don't know how he would have figured it out."

"Sheldon after he figured out who you were, he would have realized it." Penny said.

"Of course, I hadn't thought about that." Sheldon said. "I'm going to go check on Amy." He had heard her leave the bathroom and was wondering what had taken her so long to come out.

"Okay." Penny said.

Sheldon went back to his room and walked in. He found Amy sound asleep on the bed. He pulled a blanket up over her and closed the door. He went back out in the living room and found that Leonard and Raj had arrived.

"How is she?" Raj asked.

"Asleep." Sheldon answered. "I think we should let her rest before hammering her with questions."

"I agree." Raj said. "I will call Howard and Bernadette and tell them not to come over."

"Thank you." Sheldon said. "Why don't you guys come over on Sunday when everything has settled down?"

"Okay." Raj said. He called Howard and Bernadette and left to meet them for dinner. Penny and Leonard left shortly after to go to her apartment.

"Call us if you need us." Penny said to Sheldon as they left.

"I will thanks." Sheldon told her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After everyone had left Sheldon went into the kitchen to make a sandwich. He sat down in his spot and turned on the television. He decided to let Amy sleep. She obviously needed it. After about an hour Amy came out from the room. She was still in her robe from her bath.

"Hey, where is everyone?" She asked. She worried her nap had offended them.

"I sent them home." Sheldon answered.

"But it is vintage video game night and the girls and I were going to have a girl's night." She said to him, disappointed in the plan change.

"You were asleep. I figured you wanted to be alone. If you want I can call them back. They only left an hour ago." He told her.

"No it's okay. I'm kind of glad it is just us." She said, sitting down on his lap and wrapping her arms around him.

"Oh are you now?" Sheldon asked her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her softly. The dull ache that had started in the bathroom coming back. This time he didn't think he could turn away from her.

"Yes very." She said, kissing him back deeply.

"Well now what did you have in mind?" He asked seductively. He ran his finger down her chest making her shiver.

Amy decides that instead of telling him, she would show him. Amy stood up and untied her robe. She then pulled it off her shoulders a bit, teasing him. Then she let the robe fall off her body. Just as it fell to the floor, Leonard came storming in the door.

"Penny is pissed at me." He screamed and then saw the sight before him. "Oh my God, I am so sorry." He said as Amy scrambled to pick up the robe off the floor.

"No don't be sorry. I didn't check the door." Amy said, even though she was a bit embarrassed. "Now why is Penny pissed at you?"

"She got pissed at me because I asked her to marry me." Leonard told them.

"You did what?" Sheldon asked.

"I asked her to marry me." Leonard said sheepishly.

"Why did you do that?" Amy asked. She knew they had just gotten back together and had been taking things slowly.

"I think it is all this wedding planning with Howard and Bernadette. I mean they are getting married in a couple of months. I just got to thinking how much I love Penny and I know she loves me. It just sort of came out of my mouth." Leonard told them.

"How did you ask her?" Amy asked.

"It's kind of embarrassing." Leonard said.

"The only way it could be embarrassing is if you asked her during sex." Sheldon pointed out. Leonard turned bright red when he said it.

"You didn't." Amy said.

"I did." Leonard answered.

"Oh Leonard. What were you thinking? Shouldn't her agreeing to live with you be enough?" Sheldon asked him.

"I know but like I said with all the wedding planning and everything I just blurted it out." Leonard told them.

"I am going to go and check on Penny." Amy said, walking to the door.

"Um, don't you think maybe you should put on some clothes?" Sheldon said to her.

"Oh right." Amy said, running back to the room. She emerged a few minutes later and walked out the door. Sheldon sat down in his spot.

"Listen, buddy, I really am sorry for interrupting." Leonard told him.

"Oh it is not that. Amy and I can do that anytime." Sheldon said.

"Then what?" Leonard asked, exasperated. Sheldon didn't hold things back usually but when he did it was unnerving.

"What were you thinking?" Sheldon asked.

"I wasn't." Leonard told him.

"Well that much is obvious." Sheldon pointed out.

"Look I don't need this. I screwed up okay." Leonard yelled at him.

"Do you think she will end things with you again?" Sheldon asked seriously.

"I don't know. I really don't. She wasn't happy. But I do have to say this, it wasn't like when I told her I loved her. I mean she freaked out but she was calmer when I left. She just didn't want to talk about it." He said.

"Just give her time, unlike the last time." Sheldon told him.

"For once I am going to take your advice." Leonard said. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Leonard." Sheldon said. He didn't feel like pointing out to Leonard that it was only 8:45.

When Amy was in the room changing, she sent a text to Bernadette. She thought maybe they could still have the girls' night after all. It was only 8:30. She hoped Bernadette would be able to come. She wasn't sure what to say in this situation. She was grateful to get a reply saying that Bernadette was on her way. She and Howard had been out to dinner close by so he would drop her off. As Amy was walking out of the apartment, she met her walking up the stairs.

"That was quick." Amy said to her.

"We were just down the road." Bernadette told her. "We decided to eat close in case Sheldon changed his mind about vintage game night. What's up?"

"Apparently Leonard proposed to Penny and she is pissed."

"He did what?" Bernadette asked. "Why would he do that? They just got back together."

"Yeah I know but he said with all the talk and planning for your wedding he sort of just blurted it out." Amy told her.

"What do you mean blurted it out?" Bernadette asked.

"He asked when they were in bed." Amy answered her.

"Oh my God! He didn't." Bernadette laughed.

"Yes he did." Amy laughed too. "That is why I asked for you to come over. I don't know what to say in this situation. Sheldon is talking to Leonard but I am not sure how much help he will be."

"I don't know what to say either." Bernadette said.

"Maybe we can just listen and find out what Penny is thinking." Amy suggested.

"That is a good idea." Bernadette agreed. She knocked on Penny's door.

"I don't want to talk about it Leonard." Penny yelled.

"It's us." Bernadette yelled back.

"Oh. Just a second." She said. They heard her unlocking the door. "Hey." She said when she opened it.

"Hello." Bernadette and Amy said together, smiling.

"Oh God you know, don't you?" Penny looked mortified.

"We do." Amy told her.

"I can't believe he told you guys. I figured he would be mortified." Penny told them.

"I think he was but he kind of walked in on Sheldon and I in a compromising position." Amy told them.

"He didn't!" Penny exclaimed. "How did Sheldon react?"

"Actually, I am not sure. I told Leonard not to worry about it since I didn't check the door. Sheldon didn't say anything to him. He may hear about it now though since I left."

"So did he say why he did what he did?" Penny asked.

"He told us it was because of Bernadette and Howard." Amy told her.

"Yeah that is what he said to me too. Do you think he meant it though?"

"Do you want to marry Leonard?" Bernadette asked, knowing full well Leonard meant it. He never would have asked if he didn't.

"I don't know. Things have been going so well recently. I mean we just decided to try living together. Why does he always have to complicate things with more?"

"Do you love him?" Bernadette asked her.

"Of course I love him and I have told him that. But we have only been back together for a few months. I don't know if I am ready for marriage. Have you ever felt that way about Howard?" Penny asked her.

"Not really. Ever since I agreed to marry him, I have had no regrets." Bernadette answered.

"How about you, Amy? Can you imagine being married to Sheldon?" Penny asked.

"Absolutely." Amy told them.

"Do you think he will ever ask?" Bernadette asked seriously.

"It wouldn't surprise me." Penny answered. "He has changed so much from the man I met 5 years ago."

"So if he asked you would say yes?" Bernadette asked.

"I would but we haven't even been together a year and we are moving in together so I am not worried about when he asks. I know he is committed." Amy said.

"Howie and I were dating just over a year when he asked and we broke up twice in that year."

"Trust me Sheldon isn't ready for marriage. When my grandmother mentioned it last week, he went pale. But I am okay with that. I can wait." Amy told them. "But enough about me. Penny what are you going to do about Leonard?"

"I don't know. I need to talk to him. I want to see how this living together thing works first. Then I can decide if I want to marry him. I don't think that is too much to ask." Penny said.

"That makes sense." Bernadette said. "I agree you should talk to him. Communication is very important. Trust me I know. Did you know Howard thought we were going to live with his mother after we got married?"

"I heard something about that." Amy told her. "Sheldon said he was in the car with you guys when he dropped that bombshell."

"Yeah Raj was too. Neither of them seemed surprised that Howard thought that."

"Well he is close to his mother." Penny said.

"Close is an understatement. It's unhealthy if you ask me." Bernadette said.

"Well an adult Jewish male living with his mother is so common it borders on sociological cliché." Amy said to her.

"Oh my God!" Penny said.

"What?" Bernadette asked.

"Have you been talking to Leonard's mother?" Penny asked, looking directly at Amy.

"No why? I had heard of her before meeting Leonard but I have not had the privilege of meeting her."

"You sounded just like her." Penny explained.

"Well I am sure we have taken some of the same type of courses in our studies since we both work in neuroscience." Amy said.

"Yeah maybe." Penny commented. "It was just scary."

"Why is that?" Amy asked.

"The first time I met her she psychoanalyzed me all weekend."

"How so?" Bernadette asked.

"Well she asked why I was an actress and then implied that I was only doing it because I had a bad childhood. I told her it was wonderful and then she asked me to tell her about it. By the time we made it all the way up the stairs I was upset that my dad wanted a boy and was calling me slugger."

"She got all of that by climbing four flights of stairs?" Amy asked astonished.

"Yes." Penny replied.

"No wonder Leonard hates her." Bernadette commented.

"He doesn't hate her." Penny said.

"Are you kidding me? He speaks very negatively about her." Amy told her.

"Well okay maybe it is a bit of hate." Penny agreed.

"That could be why he wants a loving commitment to you." Amy pointed out. "You are the first woman he has ever been with who hasn't been ready to criticize him at every step."

"Well I do make fun of the stuff he likes. But let's face it, who likes to sit around and play video games all the time."

"I agree with you there." Bernadette said.

"I don't know. Have you guys ever played with them?" Amy asked.

"I played Halo one time when my friend Christie hooked up with Howard."

"That was five years ago!" Bernadette said to her. "You haven't once played any of the video games they play since then?"

"You just agreed with me!" Penny pointed out.

"Yes I agreed I don't get them wanting to play all the time but once in a while it can be fun."

"That is true." Amy said. "Sheldon taught me how to play Halo on one of our date nights."

"Seriously? He hated the fact that I played with him that night." Penny said.

"Yes seriously. It was actually kind of fun to blow his head off. He wasn't happy though." Amy laughed at the memory.

"Yeah he hated that when I did the same thing." Penny said.

"So maybe if you take an interest in some of the things Leonard does you won't feel the need to make fun of him all the time." Bernadette said to her.

"How can I do that?" Penny asked.

"You could start by taking an interest in his work." Bernadette said to her.

"Yeah, that's kind of a problem." Penny said.

"Why?" Amy asked.

"I'm not really clear on what he does."

"He's an experimental physicist." Bernadette told her.

"Yeah, I'm not really clear on what that means."

"He takes hypotheses and designs protocols to determine their accuracy." Amy said.

"Yeah, you're really just making it worse."

"Maybe you could ask him and he could explain it to you." Bernadette suggested. "It can't hurt."

"I suppose I could try that." Penny said. "Thanks girls. You have been a big help."

"I'm glad we could make you feel better. I am sorry this happened so soon after getting back together but at least you now know Leonard is in this for the long haul." Bernadette said.

"True." Penny said. "Amy if he is still talking to Sheldon when you go back, tell him I want to talk."

"Will do. Although I think maybe you should wait until morning."

"You know what, you are right. I don't want to upset him more." Penny said.

"Okay so I will tell him you are alright but want to talk in the morning." Amy said.

"Thank you." Penny said.

"No problem." Amy said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight girls and thank you again." Penny said, shutting the door behind them.

"Well I better call Howard and tell him to come get me." Bernadette said.

"Do you want to wait here?" Amy said, opening the door to 4A.

"No, he was just at the coffee shop up the road. By the time I get downstairs, he will probably be here." She said.

"Okay then, goodnight." Amy said.

"Goodnight." Bernadette told her and started walking down the stairs.

Amy went into 4A and found Sheldon sitting on the sofa watching television.

"Where's Leonard?" Amy asked.

"He went to bed. How is Penny?" He asked.

"I think she was just shocked he asked so soon. I think she is fine but not quite ready for that kind of commitment. Bernadette and I had a long talk with her about what she wanted out of the relationship."

"What did she say?"

"She wants to live with him first and make sure she is not making a mistake."

"Kind of like we are doing." He pointed out.

"Sort of only I feel we are in a different situation."

"How so?" Sheldon asked her. He was hoping she wouldn't say she didn't want to get married. He already had the whole weekend planned out.

"I mean that I know I am in it for the long haul. I am not going anywhere. When we are ready to get married, I feel that is the path we will take."

"Do you think we should get married first?" He asked.

"If I did I wouldn't be here right now, would I?" She answered.

"I suppose that make sense." He said. "But your mother and grandmother were pushing for us to be married."

"I know but they don't rule my life."

"So are you saying it is too soon for us to talk about marriage?" Sheldon was getting nervous.

"Sheldon why the sudden interest in marriage. You have never given me any indication that is what you wanted now. You paled when my grandmother asked."

"That was because I was surprised is all. I shouldn't have been because my Meemaw and mother would have been the same way. I just thought that is what you wanted." He answered.

"I am not saying I don't want it. I just didn't think you did." She said.

"Oh." He said.

"Do you?" She asked.

"Amy, I love you. I have never felt this strongly about another person ever. I have asked you to live with me. I met your family. Of course I have thought about it. I want to someday get married and have children with you." Sheldon told her.

"I want that too." Amy said.

"Good." He said. "Now let's get back to bed. I believe we were interrupted a bit earlier and I have plans for you tonight."

"Hoo." She said, taking his hand and letting him lead her back to the bedroom.

**So next chapter will probably be San Francisco and maybe a wedding thrown in because a certain astronaut has to go on an earlier mission.**

**If you liked it and are still with me please leave a review. I really want to know that some of you are still waiting patiently. I pray it won't be another two months until the next chapter but I won't make promises. **

**I am working on my other story, An Unlikely Relationship this week so hopefully that will be posted by the end of the weekend. I am going on a brief trip but I think I may have some time to work on my stories. **

**Also I want to put a shout out to a new story I am helping with. It is a BBT/Harry Potter crossover and it involves Sheldon, Penny and Zack. No it is not a Shenny I promise. I certainly wouldn't promote it to my loyal Shamy fans if it were. **

**It is called I am not Stupid and it is in the crossover section. It has been rewritten from the first time it was published so it is way better trust me. **

**Check it out, especially if you are a fan of both of these awesome stories. Very AU and OOC but quite interesting. It is written by percyjacksonfan135.**

**Until next time...**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Well folks here it is the last chapter of this tale. I hope you enjoy the ending as much as I enjoyed writing this story. **

**A big thank you goes out to my Beta, Boys3allC, for cleaning up all my messes through this story. You are the best!**

**As always I don't own these characters: **

On Saturday morning Sheldon had plans to go with the rest of the guys to pick out the tuxedos for the wedding. Howard told the guys that he had received a phone call from NASA telling him he would not be going to space because the Soyuz capsule failed the pressurization test. His mission had been scrubbed. After Sheldon made a scene while trying on his tuxedo Howard got a text with his final orders.

"Well, that's it. My orders have been rescinded. I am officially no go to space." Howard said, putting his phone away.

"I'm sorry, Howard, but I got to tell you, I'm a little relieved you're not going." Leonard said to him.

"Why?"

"Come on, you were going up in a rocket designed in the 1960s by the Russians." Leonard said.

"Yeah, so?"

"When was the last time you were at Best Buy and you heard someone say, ooh, check out this Blu-ray player, it must be good, it was built in Russia"?" Leonard asked him.

"Well, their technology isn't that bad."

"When you come back to Earth in a Soyuz capsule, you free-fall from space at 500 miles per hour, and the only thing that slows you down is a little parachute that pops out right before you crash into the ground. And the whole thing was designed by the same brilliant minds who were unable to capture Rocky and Bullwinkle." Raj interjected.

"All right, well, whatever. I wasn't worried." Howard told him.

"You weren't?" Raj asked.

"Let me explain the difference between you and me. You watch Star Trek. I live it." Howard explained.

"Oh, please. I don't remember the episode of Star Trek where the guy never goes to space and brags about it in a tuxedo store." Raj said.

"Make all the jokes you want, but there's only one of us here brave enough to almost do what I almost did." Howard said.

While the guys were tuxedo shopping, Amy decided to call her mom and ask about her father. She was really angry about the fact he had come to visit her when she was seven.

"Good morning Amy! It is so good to hear from you. I didn't expect a phone call this week. How was the rest of your weekend last week?" Her mother greeted.

"Oh and how is the new job?"

"Well to be honest, Sunday was interesting. We ran into Nick and Jennifer at The Neptune Diner during brunch." Amy answered.

"You didn't?" Her mother exclaimed. "What happened?"

Amy proceeded to tell her all about how Nick, not having seen her and Sheldon, told Jennifer that Sheldon had been paid to be her boyfriend because there was no physical contact between them She then explained how Sheldon thought it would be fun to kiss and see what explanation Nick came up with for it.

"Did she now? I guess she isn't as stupid as we thought." Sandy said to her.

"He's still pretty stupid." Amy laughs. Sandy smiles but changes the subject.

"Now how is the new job? I hope you are making some new friends." She commented.

"Oh yes, it is great. My new colleagues are wonderful. They were so welcoming to me and Hannah. Even my new boss was great. He sent me flowers after the first week." Amy told her. "I was confused because Sheldon had warned me he was a hard ass. But he seems so nice."

"Oh that is nice. I wonder if he sends flowers to all the new employees."

"I don't think so, Hannah didn't receive any."

"Honey, Hannah is your subordinate. Of course she wouldn't get flowers from your boss."

"I don't think that's it. Besides they didn't come with a note so we didn't know who they were from at first."

"Why did he send them to you then?" Sandy asked. "Do you have another male admirer? He does know about Sheldon right? Unless you and Sheldon are having problems."

"We are not having problems. And yes he knows about Sheldon. He actually found out about him on the day of my interview. Sheldon, being the stubborn man he is, didn't want to take a vacation so I talked him into it. President Seibert was most grateful." Amy said, casually dropping the name. She was hoping her mother took the bait. Sandy may not have known what her father had changed his name to at the time but there are not many Seibert's and she would have known her ex-husband's mother's name.

"Did you say Siebert?" Sandy asked nervously.

"Yes, why? Do you know any Seibert's?" Amy asked, feigning a casual tone.

"Oh well, I mean, no of course not." Sandy lied.

"Yes so anyway," Amy continued, knowing she shook a nerve with her mother. "We originally thought the flowers may have been from Barry Kripke. He is a co-worker of Sheldon's who hit on me a while ago. Then after that didn't pan out, Hannah and I thought maybe they were from this guy Burt who came to visit me in the lab after I bumped into him my first day. He didn't know about Sheldon and asked me out."

"So this guy Barry and another guy Burt hit on you. Wow Amy, the saying is true, guys want what they can't have. So this Seibert guy, he have a thing for you too?" Sandy asked, nervously. She had known Samuel's mother had gone back to her maiden name of Seibert after she divorced his father but she didn't think there was any reason for Sam to have changed his name.

"No mom, like I said, he already knew I had a boyfriend and he knew Sheldon was that man. He was just congratulating me on my first week."

"Well that was very nice of him, but there had to be something more to it. I mean like you said, Hannah didn't get any flowers so why should you?"

"But you said yourself, he wouldn't have sent them to my subordinate."

"That is true so I can't help but think this man has ulterior motives." Sandy said. She had a feeling if this was who she thought it was he did have ulterior motives.

"Well, see the thing is mom, he didn't just send me flowers, I got another gift later in the afternoon."

"And you are sure this man doesn't have a thing for you? What was the second gift?" Sandy asked, worry seeping into her voice.

"A picture and a dress." Amy answered. She was sure that this would shake her mother up.

"That is a strange gift. What was the picture of? And how would he know your size to get you a dress." Sandy asked, more curious about this strange man buying her daughter inappropriate gifts as her boss.

"You see that's the thing mom, it wasn't a painting, it was a photograph. And in that photograph were two little children, one boy and one girl."

"Oh my God! Amy, I think you should quit your job now." Sandy told her, the fear in her voice evident.

"Now why would I do that? Just because my boss gave me a picture and a dress?" Amy asked. "That seems a little bit of a stretch. Besides this job is perfect. My wonderful boyfriend works there, I am doing amazing research and it is close to my new home."

"Amy, please trust me. You need to leave this job." Sand insists.

"And I will ask again and this time maybe you will answer with the truth. Why would I leave a job I just started?" Amy asked, her voice getting a little louder.

"You know don't you?" Sandy asked, horrified.

"Know what mom? Do you think I know something I shouldn't?" Amy asked, curiously.

"Who was in the picture, Amy?" Sandy asked.

"Oh it was me and Sheldon from when we were three and four. I think it was taken the summer before we came to California. And before you ask the dress was my favorite one from that summer, another casualty of the move I believe. It got ripped and you bought me a new one. I believe that is what you told me. You know along with all the pictures."

"Dear Lord Amy, how long has he been back?" Sandy asked. "How long has he known who you are? Oh my God! Sheldon!" She shouted through the phone, realization hitting her.

"What about Sheldon?" Amy asked, confused. This conversation had nothing to do with Sheldon.

"Oh this is making so much sense now." Sandy said.

"What makes sense?" Amy had no idea what her mother was talking about.

"I knew he was too good to be true. He is a terrific actor. I was wondering how he could possibly have remembered you. He had an answer for everything. Eidetic memory, what a crock. I almost fell for it too. Oh and the part about thinking the man looked familiar, of course he recognized him right because he already knew. Damn it Sam! I knew you were low but this is really low." Sandy was talking to herself.

"Mom!" Amy screamed into the phone, jarring Sandy out of her thoughts. "What the hell are you talking about? Who is a good actor?" She asked.

"Oh Amy you are too in love to see it." Sandy said sympathetically.

"See what?" Amy asked, still thoroughly confused. Her mother was scaring her.

"Your father set this whole thing up." Sandy says irrationally.

"What whole thing?" Amy asks disbelieving.

"You and Sheldon. Don't you see? He and Sheldon have been working together. It all makes sense now. You have never had a date go past what the first fifteen minutes and all of a sudden this guy wants to go out for not one but three more dates in one week. I wonder how much your father paid him." Amy can't believe what she was hearing. It was so ridiculous that it was comical

"You think Sheldon had something to do with this?" Amy laughed.

"I find nothing funny about this situation. You are dating a fraud." Her mother told her.

"You can't be serious." Amy laughed harder.

"Amy Farrah Fowler, you stop laughing this instant! This is serious."

"Mom, calm down. I know for a fact Sheldon had nothing to do with this. That is without a doubt the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."

"No Amy, listen to me. You meet this guy who is perfect for you. He gets you a job at his place of employment where your birth father just happens to be the president."

"First, Sheldon did not get me the job." Amy started.

"Oh please!" Her mother said. "You don't think he talked you up to his buddy?"

"Absolutely not! I applied for that job on my own without Sheldon's knowledge. And I am completely insulted that you think I can't get a job on my own. Not to mention the day of the interview, President Seibert didn't even know Sheldon was my boyfriend. He told me he had a meeting with a stubborn man in the physics department. He was surprised we were dating. And he told me the same thing yesterday. Sheldon had nothing to do with this whatsoever. Besides, he is without a doubt the world's worst liar. He would have had more nervous tics than a Lyme disease research facility. I would have known he was lying."

"I'm not buying it." Sandy told her.

"Believe what you want but I am sure Sheldon had no idea." Amy told her. "But that still doesn't excuse the fact you knew he had changed his name."

"I didn't know."

"Then why did you get so upset a few minutes ago. If he was still Samuel Keller then you wouldn't have told me to quit my job at the name Seibert."

"I really didn't know but I figured it out while you were talking to me. Seibert was his mother's maiden name which she changed after the divorce with his father. Apparently abuse runs in that family. I honestly hadn't thought about what his name was. I wanted to forget him, remember?" Sandy told her.

"Yes but don't you see, he had to change his name so he could get a reputation back. He left Texas after seeking treatment. He legally changed his name, just like you did and started over. He got a masters and a good job at Harvard." Amy said.

"Harvard? When was he at Harvard?" Sandy asked.

"I am going to say from 1987 until 2005 when he got the job as president at Caltech."

"So he was there when you went?" She asked.

"He was in charge of admissions. He knew it was me, since he figured out your new name. He remembered that you called me Amy when he came to visit the summer before I turned eight."

"He told you?" Sandy asked.

"Yes he did. Why didn't you?"

"Because it didn't matter. He had given up his rights to you years before."

"Actually he didn't." Amy pointed out to her. "You left him and took me away from him."

"Well yes, but that was for the best." Sandy said.

"I never said it wasn't but why didn't you give him a chance when he came to you four years later?" Amy asked her.

"Because I was afraid, okay. He said he had changed but I didn't know if I could believe him. He showed up at your grandmother's house completely out of the blue. I was terrified because he had found us."

"Well it wasn't like you made it hard for him. You moved back to your home town."

"But I changed my name, got remarried and…" But she was interrupted.

"Moved back to your family. Look mom I get it. You didn't want to go far away but there had to be a reason. I know you were scared of him but if you were that afraid your name never would have been your maiden name, which he obviously knew. You would never have come home and you would have never seen your family again. That is what really terrified people do."

"Okay maybe I just wanted to make it a little difficult for him. I did however remarry rather quickly and your dad did adopt you right away."

"How did that happen since my father didn't give up rights?" Amy asked curiously.

"Well since I changed your name legally, I was able to procure a new birth certificate, reflecting the change. I just told the state of California that I had lost the original and gave them your social security number with the hospital. When they sent me new paperwork to fill out, I left the name of the father off of it. I had court documents showing your legal name change and they made a new birth certificate with it on there. I needed that for school anyway. So when your dad adopted you it was completely legal."

"Wow you did go through a lot for me." Amy said.

"I did. So when Sam showed up that summer, I threatened to call the police. Jerry had the phone in hand, then he said all he wanted was one look at me. We told him no but you wandered out into the hall anyway so he got his look. He then said he was leaving the area and would never bother us again. He said he was moving to the east coast to work at a university but he didn't say which one. I was just so glad he left."

"He did tell me all that. He said when I asked you who he was you told me no one and made me go back with grandma."

"You have to understand, Amy. I had no idea he had changed. When he said it to me they were just words. I can remember every hit, slap and punch that man ever gave me. I couldn't risk putting you in danger. When he saw you and then said that was enough and he was leaving, I was relieved. I figured I never would see him again."

"He had an opportunity to come home and he did. And you have to admit, he has not contacted you in all those years."

"That is true." Sandy admitted. "Now how long has Sheldon been at Caltech?" She asked.

"Since 1996 when he came out here at sixteen. He got his doctorates there and then they kept him on as a researcher."

"And you said Sam came in 2005?" She asked.

"Yes." Amy answered.

"So he became Sheldon's boss?" Sandy asked.

"Of course he did. He is the president of the university." Amy told her.

"And he would have had all of Sheldon's records. So he would have known it was the Sheldon Cooper that lived down the block from us." Sandy said, almost to herself.

"Yes he figured it out. He told us it wasn't hard. Even you told us that last week. You said when I told you he was from Texas you looked him up. You said he was a rock star and was easy to find. You knew immediately it was him. So did President Seibert." Amy pointed out to her.

"So who's to say he didn't…" Sandy started but was interrupted.

"Not this again. I am going to say this for the last time, Sheldon did not know. He is a terrible actor and a terrible liar. He would have never been able to pull off such a charade for a year. So please stop with all these accusations."

"But Amy…"

"No mom, enough! If you can't accept the fact that I believe this happens to be one of those big coincidences, then maybe Sheldon and I need to stay away for a while." She said. She was just about to hang up when her mom spoke again.

"Amy you can't mean that. Please just talk to Sheldon about it. Maybe he will come clean." Sandy pleaded. She truly couldn't believe this was just a coincidence.

"No mom. Sheldon and I met on a dating website, Sheldon did not get me the job and Sheldon did not know that President Jonathan Seibert was in fact Samuel Keller, my birth father. When you can accept that, then give me a call." Amy hung up the phone and screamed in frustration. Years of pent up anger at her mother coming out if her mouth in a loud wail.

Sheldon was coming up the stairs with Leonard, both carrying their tuxedos. When they heard Amy screaming on the other side of the apartment door, Sheldon rushed in, worrying that something awful was happening to Amy. Leonard followed behind just as quickly. They found her sitting in Sheldon's spot crying. Sheldon ran to her side.

"Amy," He said, putting his arm around her. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Why were you screaming? And what has got you so upset?" He asked.

Penny came rushing in. "Hey I heard someone screaming from my room, is everything okay?" She asked.

"My mom is a bitch!" Amy yelled to everyone in the room. She was still crying.

"I take it the phone call didn't go so well?" Sheldon asked.

Amy looked him dead in the eyes and asked him. "Did you know President Seibert was my father when you met me?"

"Why don't we give them some privacy?" Leonard suggested to Penny.

"Good idea." She said. The two walked out without another word and went over to Penny's apartment.

"What kind of question is that?" Sheldon asked. "Of course I didn't. Where would you get that idea?" He answered. He was shocked that she would think that he would keep something that important from her.

"My mother thinks you and he are in cahoots and this was on big ploy to get me to meet him." Amy told him, still crying.

"You can't be serious. Why would she think that to be the case?" He asked.

"I am completely serious. I started to tell her about the week and then about my father and she went off on this huge tangent about it was just perfect that we met and fell in love and then you got me the job, where…." She was telling him and he interrupted.

"I didn't get you the job. You earned the job." He said, incredulously.

"I know that and I told her that. She thinks you talked me up to your buddy Seibert." She told him. She started laughing then.

"My buddy, huh? Does she know how much the man can't stand me? Did you tell her he was forcing me to take a vacation when I don't need one?" He asked.

"I told her about the vacation. I don't think he hates you." Amy pointed out.

"Well he may hate me more now that I am dating his daughter. But trust me the man isn't my biggest fan." Sheldon said.

"He did call you stubborn." Amy said.

"Did he now? That seems uncalled for." Sheldon said.

"No I think he was right in that regard." Amy laughed.

"Very funny. So your mom really thinks that poorly of me that I would stoop so low as to start a relationship with you just so you could meet your birth father?" Sheldon changed the subject back.

"No I don't think she thinks poorly of you. She thinks poorly of Seibert. She thinks he made you do all that. She still finds it hard to believe that we had four dates in one week. I never got past fifteen minutes with some of my dates." She said. "She thinks it was all part of the plan."

"Well that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. You don't think that do you?" He asked, nervously.

"Of course not. You were genuinely shocked when you heard him tell me who he was plus you are a terrible liar. You would not have looked at a picture of my father and known who he was and acted as though you didn't know him. I know too well."

"I hope you told your mother that." He said.

"I did but she thinks I am too in love to see the truth." Amy said.

"What are you going to do about it?" He asked.'

"I told my mom when she is ready to accept the real truth to call me and I hung up on her."

"Oh wow, Amy, I am so sorry this happened to you." He said, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you. You know for about two seconds, I almost believed her. But then I thought to all the things we have been through this year and I knew you couldn't be that type of person. You are the most caring, loving person I know and you could never have done that kind of a thing to me."

"Never." He said. "I love you too much to ever deceive you like that."

"I love you too." She said. "So how was tuxedo shopping?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Well it turns out that Howard is not going to space." Sheldon said.

"What happened?" She asked.

"The Soyuz capsule failed the pressurization test." He answered.

"But his mission wasn't supposed to be for a month. Can't they get another capsule?" Amy asked.

"I don't know. He told us his mission was scrubbed and his orders were rescinded today so I guess they can't." He said.

"Well I know Bernadette will be happy about that. She was so worried about him. They planned the wedding before just so she could say she was married to him if something happened." Amy told him.

"Really? That seems kind of cold. Why would you want to say you were married to someone?" Sheldon asked. "I would think they should wait."

"I thought it was romantic. I mean if you were going on a mission somewhere that would take you away from me for months, I would want the knowledge that you were my husband before you just took off." Amy said. Then she got a look of regret on her face. They had spoken about marriage but nothing was set in stone.

"You would want to marry me, knowing I may never come back?" He asked, ignoring her look of worry. He had his plan and he wasn't going to be leaving her anytime soon. They would be able to properly plan their wedding.

"Of course. If you were going to space or say to Mars, I would want to say, that was my husband." She said.

"Mars?" Sheldon laughed. "Amy if I were going to Mars, I would want you to come with me. That kind of trip would take months and there may not be a way to get back."

"Really?" Amy said.

"Of course, if I'm going to a barren, lifeless environment where the chances of survival are slim to none, I want you there with me." He said.

"That is so sweet."

"Of course it is. Now get that silly notion out of your head that I am going to leave you. I don't plan on going to space or Mars anytime soon."

"Alright fine. But Mars would be fun, wouldn't it?" She laughed.

"It would be." Sheldon joked. "We could be the first to plant a flag on Mars. We could be the first to watch _Mars Attacks!_ on Mars. We could be the first to say good lord, what on Mars are you talking about?"

"You know, we could also be the first people to procreate on Mars." Amy pointed out. "Our kids would be Martians."

"They would, wouldn't they? We could give them cool Martian names. And we could teach them about Martian history. Like, who planted those flags? And, uh, where did that copy of Mars Attacks! come from?" Sheldon laughed.

Amy began to laugh with him. "What is a cool Martian name in your book?" She asked, laughing harder.

"I don't know, maybe Mork?" He suggested. This made Amy laugh harder.

"He's from Ork, silly." She said.

"Right as always." He laughed.

They were laughing so hard they didn't hear Leonard and Penny come back in.

"You guys seem to be having fun." Penny said. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah it is. My mom just had a bit of a brain fart. When she comes to her senses it will be fine." Amy told her.

"A brain fart?" Sheldon laughed again. "Is that a technical term, Dr. Fowler?"

"For what my mom had, yes." She laughed. Sheldon laughed along with her.

"These two are weird." Penny whispered to Leonard.

"You are just figuring that out?" He asked. "They are like this all the time. They seem to just get each other. I have never seen anything like it."

"Well they have known each other a long time." Penny pointed out.

"That's just it, they haven't really but it seems as though they just have always been together." Leonard said.

"True but fate brought them back together. And I believe they are going to be like that forever." Penny said.

"Yeah they are." Leonard said, smiling at the couple. He was envious of his best friend. The man whom he had met ten years early was not the same man sitting before him now. Sheldon may have his tedious moments but he was loyal to the end. Leonard realized just how happy he was to have him in his life. And Amy was just perfect for him. He knew that Amy was going to end up his wife someday and he actually couldn't wait for that to happen.

"What are you two talking about over there?" Sheldon asked.

"Just how perfect you two are for each other." Penny answered.

"We are aren't we?" Sheldon said, pulling Amy in close to him.

"We really are." She said.

The End.

**Okay I know some of you are wondering what will happen when they go to San Francisco and what happens with Amy's mother and newly found father. Will she meet her half siblings and step-mother? Well stay tuned I will be writing a sequel soon. I have tentatively named it When Sheldon proposed to Amy. But I am not sure I like that...any ideas?**

**Thank you to all of you who have followed, reviewed and made this story a favorite. I have enjoyed writing this and enjoyed reading your feedback. You guys are the best. **


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